In IPL 2024, Yashasvi Jaiswal has at last made an appearance. The Rajasthan Royals opener crushed the second century of his IPL career on Monday night, leading his club to victory over the Mumbai Indians following a run of poor performances. Jaiswal, incidentally, has made two hundreds against MI; yesterday at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, he got 104 not out off 60 balls after hitting 124 off 62 balls the previous year. RR easily defeated MI’s goal of 180 in 18.4 overs.
Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson, the captain, all made valuable contributions. Piyush Chawla took Buttler for 35 runs, but Jaiswal and Samson added an undefeated partnership of 109 runs to help RR win. Sandeep Sharma beat Jaiswal for the Player of the Match title despite the latter’s fantastic 5/18 period. However, Jaiswal’s timely knock puts him back in the running to make the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.
When Jaiswal was being interviewed after the game for his valiant effort, Sunil Gavaskar posed a question to the batter that would have crossed every Mumbaikar’s mind. Mumbai native Jaiswal has a strong track record against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians, so Gavaskar couldn’t help but wonder what it is about the Mumbai Indians that consistently brings out the best in him. This is the flow of the talk.
Gavaskar: “Meet Ashish! Here’s Sunil. You’re up against the Mumbai Indians for the second century. You’re a Mumbai boy, too. How come you are scoring these hundreds against them? Don’t you think you could beat them by hundreds?
Jaiswal: “Not a thing. Simply said, I believe I’m attempting to do what I do best. There are good days and bad days. I was only having fun. That’s it. There was nothing on my mind.
The significance of Jaiswal’s hit
But Jaiswal’s first meaningful innings of work hasn’t been enough to put him in the top 10 of this IPL’s list of best run scorers. He is now ranked 22 with 225 runs from 8 matchups, far down the ladder. Nevertheless, Jaiswal’s comeback to form is encouraging for both RR and the Indian squad. Despite refuting rumours that Virat Kohli would be the favourite, Jaiswal, who amassed over 700 runs in the Test series against England, is expected to be Rohit Sharma’s partner for India at the T20 World Cup. Yashasvi’s criticism is expected to cause selectors some serious issues.
After the game, Jaiswal, who had been praising Rohit and his captaincy, gave the former MI captain a hug, proving that he was right. A few images and videos from before the game showed Jaiswal’s admiration for Rohit, and this gesture made after the game demonstrates the profound influence the India captain has had on young people, including Jaiswal.
The Royals’ convincing nine-wicket victory solidifies their lead in the points standings, while MI is still middling along in seventh place with six points from eight games.
