'Jaiswal should've been selected as KL Rahul's replacement for WTC final': Ex-England captain Vaughan's bold claim

Michael Vaughan feels that Yashasvi Jaiswal should have been selected as KL Rahul's replacement for India's WTC final squad. The BCCI have named Ishan Kishan.

With KL Rahul getting ruled out of IPL 2023 due to an injury midway through the season, the Lucknow Super Giants captain has been replaced by Ishan Kishan for the upcoming World Test Championship final clash vs Australia. The WTC final is scheduled to take place next month at The Oval in London.

Michael Vaughan feels the BCCI should have named Yashasvi Jaiswal instead of Ishan Kishan, as KL Rahul's replacement.

Rahul sustained an injury to his right-upper thigh while fielding during his side's match vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Lucknow on May 1. The BCCI in a statement revealed, "After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same. He is ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia."

Before BCCI's statement, Rahul had already revealed that he won't be able to play in the WTC Final. With the Indian cricket board selecting Kishan as Rahul's replacement, pressure will be on the Mumbai Indians star, who has fallen down the pecking order in the Indian squad.

Despite Kishan finding some form in IPL 2023, former England captain Michael Vaughan named another player, who should have been named as replacement. Taking to Twitter, Vaughan wrote, “I would have selected @ybj_19 as KL Rahuls replacement for the World Test championship final … He is that good .. he is going to be a superstar .. #India.”

Jaiswal has been in hot form this season for Rajasthan Royals, and it was well-reflected in their latest league match on Thursday. Chasing a target of 150 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, RR raced to 151/1 in 13.1 overs, courtesy of a knock of 98 runs off 47 balls by Jaiswal. Initially, KKR had posted 149/8 in 20 overs, with Venkatesh Iyer (57) bagging a half-century. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal took four wickets for RR.

Jaiswal is also second in the Orange Cap race, but is only one run behind leader Faf du Plessis. The young opener has smacked 575 runs in 12 matches, at an average of 52.27 and 167.15 strike rate. His high score is a 124-run knock, and in total, he has bagged a ton and four half-centuries. Meanwhile, RCB skipper Du Plessis has slammed 576 runs in 11 matches, with a strike rate of 157.80 and 57.60 average. The South African has also grabbed six half-centuries.