"He will definitely play for Team India" - Harbhajan Singh lavishes praise on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh recently showered praise on Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, calling him the future of Indian cricket.

Yashasvi has been touted to make his international debut in recent future after a spectacular IPL 2023 campaign. The left-handed batter finished as RR's highest run-scorer, with 625 runs in 14 games, including a century and five fifties.

Harbhajan Singh also predicted that Yashasvi Jaiswal will go on to play red-ball cricket for India.

“If we are talking about batsmen, then I can say that Shubman Gill has the potential," Harbhajan said on Star Sports. "Along with him, I think Yashasvi too has the potential to be the future of India. I think Yashasvi is this year’s most impressive player and in the years to come, he will definitely play for Team India."

Harbhajan also made a bold prediction, saying that young batting prodigy Shubman Gill will captain India in the future.

"Shubman Gill will also be there, maybe he will be the captain as well," he said. "I’m talking about the future here. And I also think that Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh will also be there, so I’m making a squad for the future of the Indian team. They are all unbelievable talents.”

Gill has been in breathtaking form in this year's cash-rich league. He smashed 722 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 149.17, including two consecutive centuries. The Gujarat Titans (GT) opener is eight runs short of the highest run-scorer this season, Faf du Plessis.

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"Hardik should be captain, and Yashasvi and Gill should open" - Harbhajan Singh on India's future T20 team

Rinku Singh is seen by Harbhajan as a future India star [Image: IPL]

After India's premature exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup, there has been a lot of speculation on the future T20I Indian side.

Senior cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested from T20 assignments, with ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya leading the side.

Harbhajan Singh also stressed that the selectors should build a team based on the youngsters in the shortest format of the game. The celebrated cricketer feels that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal should be used as openers in T20 cricket.

"If we look at the current form, and if we want to go in the direction of youth, then Yashasvi is the best option available," Harbhajan said. "When we lost the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year, then there was much speculation that we should build a team around youngsters.

"Without saying anyone’s name on who should be left out of the squad, I think Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and Shubman Gill, under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, there should be a new team altogether," he added. "Hardik should be captain, and Yashasvi and Gill should open the batting, along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, and Nitish Rana. Then this team will have a lot of potential.”

With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the USA, the Men in Blue will look to build their squad from now in a bid to end their barren run in ICC tournaments.