Yashasvi Jaiswal eyes T20 World Cup berth, open to leading India in future

Team India promising batter Yashasvi Jaiswal says that even though he has become a regular in India’s Test side, he still nurtures the ambition of becoming a major force in white-ball cricket. The young opener revealed that he dreams of playing in marquee tournaments like the T20 World Cup, but is patiently working on refining his game to meet the high standards he has set for himself.

Since making his international debut in the 2023 Test series against the West Indies in Roseau, Jaiswal has grown into a vital part of India’s evolving Test setup—one that has moved beyond the era of veterans such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. He also had a short stint in the T20I squad during that tour but has yet to establish a permanent spot in the format.

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Jaiswal was part of the Indian contingent that clinched gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, but consistent opportunities in T20Is have been limited, suggesting he may not currently be in the immediate plans for the shortest format.

Despite this, the 23-year-old remains undeterred. He reiterated his desire to break into the T20I team and fulfill his long-held dream of appearing at a T20 World Cup.

“My dream is to play the T20 World Cup, but I try to focus on my game and will wait for my time,” he said during a recent interaction.

In white-ball cricket, Jaiswal may not yet be among the first choices, but he aims to make every opportunity count. He recently featured in the ODI series against South Africa, where after two tough outings, he roared back with a maiden ODI century in Visakhapatnam, helping India seal the match and the series.

Jaiswal is steadily gathering experience, hoping it will eventually help him cement a long-term role in India’s ODI and T20I setups.

His ambitions extend beyond playing. The left-hander didn’t shy away from expressing his readiness to take on leadership responsibilities. “Yes, if I get a chance, I would like to lead India,” he stated.

While he may not yet be seen as a frontrunner for India’s captaincy, he is prepared to grow into the role. At the moment, India’s leadership hierarchy appears settled. Shubman Gill captains the ODI and Test sides with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant as vice-captains, while Suryakumar Yadav leads the T20I team with Gill as his deputy.

Interestingly, the Rajasthan Royals—Jaiswal’s IPL franchise are searching for a new captain following Sanju Samson’s move to Chennai Super Kings. This opens the door for Jaiswal to put himself in contention. Many modern Indian captains, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, began their captaincy journeys in the IPL, and Jaiswal could be next in line to follow that path.