Dubai: Cricket is all about timing. Finding the right timing is key to be successful on the field and, while Yashasvi Jaiswal is doing it right in the Indian Premier League season 16, he is also timing his run-scoring spree to perfection to earn the Indian cap sooner than later.
The Rajasthan Royals opener has been in impressive form and has made batting look easy on a difficult pitch against Chennai Super Kings in Jaipur on Thursday. When none of the other batters from both sides could find their timing right, the left-hander raced to a 44-ball 77, his highest score in the Twenty20 franchise league, which gave the hosts the winning margin and helped them regain the top spot in the table. Rajasthan could reach 202 for five with a late cameo from Dhruv Jurel, but it was the knock of Jaiswal that set the tone for the hosts to finish with an above-par total.
When match got away from Chennai
“Yashasvi batted really well. It was important to go after the bowlers and he took calculated risks. It was slightly easier against our bowlers because we had to assess the right lengths. Even then Yashasvi batted well at the top and at the end,” said Dhoni at the post-match presentation. “They scored quite a bit above par. We gave away too many in the first six when the wicket was great to bat on. I think it’s the first six where the match got away from us.”
Jaiswal has so far scored 304 runs in eight matches and is in sixth spot for the Orange Cap behind some of the illustrious names of world cricket like Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Virat Kohli and David Warner.
Rags to riches
Jaiswal’s rise to the top from rags to riches could make a good screenplay. After moving from Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai as a 10-year-old, he had to sell pani puri to foot his bills and realise his dream to playing cricket. The 21-year-old’s hardwork is finally paying off for himself and to his team, Rajasthan Royals, who have reposed great faith in the Mumbai batter.
The left-hander was at his fluent best with England whiteball captain Jos Buttler playing a second fiddle in the 86-run opening partnership. Along with the partnership with Buttler, Jaiswal was able to learn the nuances of the game from one of the best batters in world cricket, one of the few touch artists.
Jaiswal was not as successful in the last season, scoring just 258 runs in 10 matches, but a little technical correction to his batting seemed to have worked wonders as he looks more solid in his approach, both on front and the backfoot.
Superstar of the tournament
The former Indian Under-19 player is rising to the top of his game when the other Indian openers are either struggling to score runs or walking towards the sunset. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be part of whiteball set up for long and Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul too are not in their best of the touches. Only Shubman Gill is batting well, both in international games and in IPL. That should pave the way for Jaiswal, who has time and again showed his big-match temperament in domestic circuit and while playing for India A against Bangladesh A, to be fast-tracked into the Indian team.
After watching him smash his team yellow, former Chennai star Suresh Raina calls Jaiswal as the superstar of the tournament and has the potential to make the country proud in the near future. “His head position is great and as Robin (Uthappa) said, when he hit a reverse sweep, it stayed so still. He plays close to the body and what I like the most is that his head, whenever he drives the ball, is also very still. When it doesn’t move much, you can get a lot of power into your shot, your swing goes well,” Raina was quoted as saying by JioCinema at the end of the match. Along with the still head, the 21-year-old has a cool head and patience to wait for his opportunity. It’s only a matter of time.
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