Ravichandran Ashwin believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive rise in IPL 2026 may have mentally unsettled Yashasvi Jaiswal at Rajasthan Royals.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has unintentionally overshadowed Yashasvi Jaiswal during IPL 2026, leading to a surprising dip in the latter’s performances this season.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament with his fearless batting for Rajasthan Royals. While the teenager’s rise has excited fans, Ashwin feels it may also have created pressure on Jaiswal, who had been RR’s leading face over the past few seasons.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin admitted he expected much more from Jaiswal this year.
“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.
Ashwin Compares Jaiswal-Sooryavanshi Dynamic To Sehwag And Chopra
Ashwin compared the current opening partnership to the famous Test opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra, explaining how an explosive batter can sometimes unintentionally take attention away from the other opener.
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“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,” he asserted.
Ashwin also highlighted how Sooryavanshi has become the centre of attention in Rajasthan Royals’ campaign.
“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.
Ashwin Calls For Support And Mentorship For Jaiswal
Ashwin further stated that Jaiswal may now be dealing with the pressure of losing the “most exciting batter” tag after dominating headlines for the last few years in Indian cricket.
“In 2024, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the backup opener when we won the World Cup. Over the last two or three years, what happened? Yashasvi Jaiswal won the Orange Cap for the Rajasthan Royals and had a stellar debut in Test cricket. His record in Test cricket is in a completely different dimension. In ODI cricket, he scored a century in his last match. For the past two or three years, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been India’s most dependable, exciting, and entertaining batsman.
“Now, I am thinking, if a player like Yashasvi Jaiswal comes and plays for India at this age, they operate on a different momentum. Their mind will only focus on how to become excellent, how to break more records, and how to work harder. These things will be on his mind. And whether Yashasvi agrees or not, or whether the players and support staff in the Rajasthan Royals agree or not, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the talk of the town for the last two or three years. Suddenly, right in front of Rajasthan Royals’ poster boy, there is another poster boy whose ability is turning world cricket upside down,” he stressed.
Ashwin concluded by saying that Jaiswal deserves empathy and proper support from the team environment during this phase.
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“I mean, we need to give credit to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but we also need to have empathy for Yashasvi Jaiswal. See, it is not easy. Someone needs to put an arm around Jaiswal’s shoulder and talk to him. I would dearly like that because what must have been going through Yashasvi’s mind before this season? He probably thought,
‘I will consistently score runs, take the Orange Cap, play at a good strike rate, and secure my place back in India’s T20 squad.’ That must be what was running through his head, right? But Vaibhav Sooryavanshi arrived and almost sidelined everyone else. He is at the forefront of every discussion. It’s not easy. So, I feel there should be some mentorship or a psychologist in the team to help. It is definitely not easy.”
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