Follow UsYashasvi Jaiswal had a night to remember against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (April 30), and Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara feels the young opener has the right ethics to succeed at all levels.
The 21-year-old broke many records in the 1000th game of the Indian Premier League. Jaiswal smoked 16 fours and eight sixes in his 62-ball 124 and single-handedly propelled Rajasthan to 212/7 in their 20 overs. Things didn’t end too well for the franchise as Mumbai hunted down the total with three deliveries to spare.
“He is not just extremely talented but also really hard-working. He has spent a lot of time in preparations, a lot of time in the nets working on his preparations,” Sangakkara said during the post-match press conference.
“He has worked on his game for three to four years with us and it shows he is very focused, driven and the results are showing.
“He played beautifully. He batted almost entirely through the innings and it was exceptional. He has a long way to go, not just with us, but internationally. He just has to keep scoring runs and keep knocking on the door.”
Jaiswal became the youngest for Rajasthan and the fourth youngest overall to register an IPL century. 90.3 percent of his total runs came via boundaries. Such was his dominance in the batting line-up that the second-highest run-scorer was the extras, 25 of them. The other eight RR batters managed only 63 runs between them.
Jaiswal is now the leading run-scorer in this competition, having smashed 428 runs in nine innings at an average of 47.56 and a strike rate of 159.70. And, 227 of those runs have come in the powerplay, that too at a strike rate of 165.7.
“It is about playing good cricket shot, trusting his ability, reading the game situation really well and when he does get a start to maximise it and get the intent going throughout the innings,” said Sangakkara.
“Before this IPL, he hasn’t batted a huge amount outside the powerplay, averaged a little low against pace but today and in the previous game as well, he has showed when he keeps his intent going, he has the ability to play big innings for us.
“He learns and keeps learning very quickly and he has a great attitude, he is very positive in everything that he does.”
However, it was Tim David who stole all the limelight at the end. The big man from Australia hammered 45* off 14, hitting three consecutive sixes off Jason Holder to seal the game for Mumbai. Apart from him, Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma all chipped in with cameos.
“I have been hungry, wanting to finish like that and so it feels amazing. The team is so excited and the boys have been putting in big performances. I’ve been waiting for my chance and am really pleased I took it,” David said.
“Last year was my first experience of the IPL and I was hungry to make a name for myself and establish myself in the team. But now, every time I put on the shirt, I try to win the game for Mumbai.
“Whether that’s by trying to communicate with the bowlers or finding out the best way, anything I do is for the team. To have a nice individual performance is amazing.”