'You don’t have to try and be Vaibhav Suryavanshi' - Harbhajan Singh’s advice to struggling Team India star ahead of Qualifier 2

Harbhajan Singh advised the out-of-form Yashasvi Jaiswal to stick to his strengths and not look to match Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 2 clash between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Friday, May 29.

Yashasvi has scored 426 runs in 15 innings at an average of 32.77 and a strike rate of 153.24, which are decent numbers. However, a batter of his calibre, despite getting overshadowed by the limelight around Vaibhav Suryavanshi, should be competing for the Orange Cap and winning games for the Royals more often.

Harbhajan opined that Yashasvi is a four-hitter and not a six-hitter like Suryavanshi. The former India off-spinner urged Yashasvi to focus on hitting fours, and the sixes will come in the flow.

"If I am in the RR camp, I will tell him just one thing, 'You don't have to try and be Vaibhav Suryavanshi. You have to remain Jaiswal.' Just be Jaiswal, he is far ahead of many players. Not many have the kind of game that he has. Yashasvi just needs to time the ball. He is also trying to hit the ball too hard, which is why his body weight is going backwards, and the ball is going in the air. All he needs to do is just back himself and play along the ground and time the ball," Harbhajan told Star Sports.

"He has never been that six-hitter. That's the difference between Jaiswal and Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi is a six-hitter, and Jaiswal is a four-hitter. When a four-hitter tries to hit sixes, his body weight moves. So, if he tries to hit fours, the sixes will automatically come in that flow," he added.

"Rajasthan are definitely slightly ahead" - Harbhajan Singh feels RR have the upper hand over GT in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2

Harbhajan opined that the Rajasthan Royals are slightly ahead because they have momentum on their side after winning their last three matches, including the one against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. However, the cricketer-turned-expert said that Gujarat have a brilliant bowling attack and scoring runs won't be too easy.

"The match is in Punjab. Shubman Gill will feel at home. However, I feel Rajasthan are definitely slightly ahead because of the momentum, but with the kind of team and bowling attack GT have, they will not concede the kind of runs that SRH did."