Yashasvi Jaiswal ‘second fiddle’ to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?:’Overshadowed’ opener told to leave RR amid 15-year-old prodigy’s rise

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s stock has been on the rise exponentially; the 15-year-old shattered Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL season against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He almost shattered another record, for the fastest hundred in IPL history, but was dismissed on 97. The Rajasthan Royals opener helped his team score 243/8 while the Orange Army could only score 196, losing by 47 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been put under pressure by Vaibhav’s meteoric rise, and the RR opener has been advised to leave the team to avoid being ‘overshadowed’. With the spotlight constantly on Vaibhav, Jaiswal has struggled to replicate his best form, and has endured the lowest scoring for the past four years. Yashasvi has scored 426 runs so far, while he scored 559, 435, and 625 runs in the last three seasons. Former Indian captain Mohammad Kaif felt that Jaiswal has become ‘second fiddle’ to Vaibhav, while Ambati Rayudu urged Yashasvi to leave RR to avoid being overshadowed. Yashasvi Jaiswal second fiddle to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? What Vaibhav has been doing was Jaiswal’s role in the past, but now that Sooryavanshi has taken on the ultra-attacking route, Yashasvi looks a bit subdued. “Jaiswal was one such player who used to dominate. What Vaibhav is doing, Jaiswal used to do. Yes, he didn’t use to hit so many sixes but had a higher striker rate and used to hit boundaries. He has gotten behind that phase. He’s a strong player and would make a comeback,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel. “Someone is doing his work, and that too 50 times better, so that’s the difference. He’s figuring out how to go ahead with him. He’s playing second fiddle. I think he’s an excellent player,” he added. Jaiswal’s career at crossroads Yashasvi was once billed as an all-format player, bit is already struggling to cement his place in white-ball cricket. He did score a century in his most recent ODI appearance against South Africa last year, but was not included in the latest ODI squad for the Afghanistan series. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson’s breathtaking form in T20Is have also seen Jaiswal fall down the pecking order in the shortest format. Now in his seventh season with the Royals, Rayudu suggested that Yashasvi Jaiswal should look for a new challenge. “He needs to change his game because he cannot just bat with the guy (Sooryavanshi) and be overshadowed every single time. He is a star in his own right. If he goes to another team, he will win games on his own. He needs space and a platform because this guy will continue to overshadow people,” Rayudu told ESPNcricinfo. Ambati also suggested that Yashasvi would be a perfect fit for Mumbai Indians, who will have to find a replacement for Rohit Sharma someday. “MI could be a great team for Jaiswal,” said Rayudu.