Aakash Chopra heaps praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal after exceptional knock against Punjab Kings

Rajasthan Royals registered an emphatic victory against Punjab Kings in game 18 of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Both sides locked horns at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, on April 5, and it was Royals who put in an exceptional showing and dominated Punjab Kings.

The clash began with RR coming in to bat first, and the side posted a total of 205 runs after a brilliant performance from the top order. Opening the innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had recently been lacking in form, looked brilliant as he scored 67 runs in 45 deliveries.

Jaiswal’s knock was crucial in Royals posting 205 on the board in the first innings, and former India cricketer Aakash Chopra came forward and expressed his opinion on the young batter’s knock.

“The excellent news is that Yashasvi is back in form. He is a mighty player, but he was having difficulties against the short ball. Here too, he was almost caught once, but thank god he wasn’t. He played extremely well,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“It was a personal thing for me as well, as I thought he would be in the Orange Cap race, that he would be among the top three run-getters, and I felt it was over when he started like that (in the tournament). He got out to Lockie Ferguson for sure, but he scored important runs,” he added.

Furthermore, Aakash Chopra talked about the performance that Riyan Parag put in for Royals in the back end of the first innings. It is worth noting that Parag came out to bat after the fall of the first wicket and scored 43* runs in 25 deliveries.

“In the end, there was some incredible hitting by Riyan Parag, and he showed that he is actually a special player. When he gets going, he bats very well. He struck clean hits and took the team beyond 200. Lockie Ferguson was brilliant. He bowled extremely well,” Chopra said.