Rajasthan Royals’ opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been added to the WTC 2023 final India squad as a replacement player for Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Jaiswal Named As Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Replacement In WTC 2023 Final
Ruturaj Gaikwad was one of the three reserve players for India in the World Test Championship against Australia. He has now been replaced by youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal after Ruturaj Gaikwad informed the cricket board that he will be getting married on June 3-4.
“He (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team as Gaikwad has informed us that he won’t be able to fly due to his marriage. He would be able to join the team post-June 5. (But) Coach Rahul Dravid took a call, asking the selectors to pick a replacement. So, Jaiswal will now fly to London soon,” a BCCI official told The IE.
The 21-year-old opener, who is in the running for the Emerging Player of IPL award, now looks a certainty for an India call-up for the T20 squad in the West Indies. A call-up to the red-ball squad too isn’t off the table as India will also play two Tests in the Caribbean in July.
Jaiswal was magnificent in IPL 2023, but he possesses excellent First Class numbers as well. He has scored 1845 runs at an average of 80.21 with the help of two centuries and nine half-centuries.
Mumbai’s batter Sarfaraz Khan was also a hot candidate, but he is a middle-order batter. BCCI have opted to replace Gaikwad with an opener only.
The Indian team has left for London in batches and those who are already there have begun training.
Meanwhile, a few other players, including Jaydev Unadkat, who has been doing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, will reach London by Monday by when another group, including skipper Rohit Sharma and other WTC-bound players who were part of the Mumbai Indians squad, should be there. The last batch will fly out in the early hours of May 30.
