Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has backed opening young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal “to run away” with the ‘Player of the Series’ award in the ongoing five-match Test bilateral against England. Despite scoring double centuries in the second and third Tests, a Player of the Match award has eluded him so far in the series. However, with a couple of double centuries in the bag, Chopra has predicted Jaiswal to take the big prize at the end of the series. India lead the series 2-1 with the last two Tests scheduled in Ranchi and Dharamsala, respectively.
“Yashasvi may not have won a single POTM thus far but he will walk away with the Player of the Series award in Dharamsala,” Chopra wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Yashasvi may not have won a single POTM thus far…but he will walk away with the Player of the Series award in Dharamsala. #IndvEng
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 19, 2024
In the second innings of the third Test, Jaiswal played an unbeaten knock of 214 runs which was laced by 14 fours and 12 sixes.
The 22-year-old built an unbeaten partnership of 172 runs along with Sarfaraz Khan, who played an unbeaten knock of 68* runs with the help of six boundaries and three sixes.
During his knock, Jaiswal equalled Wasim Akram‘s record (12) of hitting the most sixes in an innings in Test cricket. Akram had also hit 12 sixes against Zimababwe in 1996.
However, it was Ravindra Jadeja who won the player of the match award in Rajkot, having smashed a century in the first innings, before taking a five-for in the second.
In the 2nd Test in Vizag, Jasprit Bumrah pipped Jaiswal to the price, despite the youngster playing a scintillating knock of 209 runs from 290 balls during India’s 1st innings.
Meanwhile, England’s Ollie Pope, on the back of his match-winning 196, had taken the honours in the series opener in Hyderabad.
The fourth Test starts Friday, February 23 in Ranchi, while the fifth and final Test will be played from March 7-11 at the picture-esque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
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