3 min readMay 25, 2026 09:34 AM IST
In the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi storm that has hit the IPL 2026 season, an unlikely casualty has been his senior opening partner and Rajasthan Royals vice-captain, Yashasvi Jaiswal. The India opener has endured a quiet season by his standards, with Sooryavanshi dominating their fast-scoring association, ranked the second-best among all IPL opening pairs.
The 15-year-old has butchered bowling attacks with 53 sixes and 50 fours, aggregating 583 runs in 14 innings at a jaw-dropping 232.50 strike rate. Jaiswal’s shares dwindle in comparison: 397 runs at 159.43 with only 48 fours and 18 sixes.
Former RR all-rounder R Ashwin said that Sooryavanshi’s surging presence has put unusual pressure on Jaiswal to succeed. While both openers failed to set up big scores during RR’s must-win match against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday, Jaiswal has struggled to temper his aggressive starts on most occasions this season. Ashwin expressed surprise with Jaiswal failing to recalibrate his batting flow with Sooryavanshi at the other end.
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“It is slightly underwhelming and I am a bit surprised by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s performance in the Rajasthan Royals team. I am a little surprised because I expected a lot from him; I have high hopes. But I just have a slight inkling of a feeling that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s display has perhaps shaken Jaiswal a bit. It has rattled him,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin likened the situation to the yesteryear Indian Test opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra, where the younger Delhi batter dominated the stand.
“If you remember the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra in Test matches, Aakash Chopra used to play really well, giving good starts of 30 or 40 runs. But the sheer style and manner in which Virender Sehwag batted used to make Aakash Chopra look almost invisible. Not that he was; Aakash Chopra did a great job on that Australian tour too. But I just have a feeling that because of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fierce batting here, it has thrown Jaiswal off a little. In many games, Jaiswal got out trying to hit the ball too hard.
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“I want to see Yashasvi Jaiswal bat well because he has the ability. But this time, Rajasthan Royals’ story has been about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and on the day Jofra Archer was needed, he also stepped up. But all that said, Mumbai Indians have been very, very, very, very underwhelming this season. This score was chaseable,” Ashwin added.
