Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has urged Yashasvi Jaiswal to register a 700-run season in IPL 2026 to increase his chances of becoming an all-format regular in the national setup. Jaiswal has played 28 Tests, four ODIs and 23 T20Is up until now.
Chopra's comments came after Jaiswal was neither picked in India's T20 World Cup squad nor the preceding T20I series against New Zealand. The renowned commentator felt anything below the 700-run mark in the IPL would be injustice to Jaiswal's capabilities.
"Yashasvi, I have a request for you. I want you to have a 700-run IPL season. Every year, I think it would be like that for you. You are having 400 to 450-run seasons, but that's not good enough. Not for you, not for your standard. I need a 700-run season so that you break the door and go in. That's what I expect from him. That's what I want from him. Yashasvi should actually become a three-format player sooner than later," shared Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.
The 48-year-old noted the depth of talent India possesses that a player of Jaiswal's calibre is struggling to be a consistent feature in the white-ball squads. However, he mentioned that there is a chance of Jaiswal becoming a T20I regular after the conclusion of the World Cup.
"It's surprising. It just tells you how much depth there is in India because you're unable to play Yashasvi in all three formats. He's going after scoring an ODI ton and will sit out when the match happens now. He's not even coming close in T20Is. He's at least in the team in ODIs, but is not in the T20I team. However, it is going to change after the World Cup. I felt it would change before that, but it doesn't seem like that now. It will change after that," he added.
Jaiswal's numbers for India in Tests have been commendable up until now. He averages 49.23 in 28 Tests. The left-handed batter has played considerably well in the shortest format too, striking at 164.31 in 23 matches. However, he has not been able to make a sure shot place for himself in ODIs.
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