Jaiswal’s first attack is leaving tremendous impact. Cricket
It was during the last IPL season that Yashasvi Jaiswal went up to his Rajasthan Royals opening partner Jos Buttler and asked that he be allowed to take the strike first. The left-handed batsman was making a comeback after being dropped following a hat-trick of poor scores at the start of IPL 2022. Jaiswal registered a 4-6-4 in the first over against Punjab Kings pacer Sandeep Sharma. Or ‘Bang Bang Bang’ as Buttler, one of the more feared T20 ball strikers recalled.
Some batsmen have trouble waiting and want to face the first ball. Others just want to get on with things. It’s a tactic that has its own risks; In the subcontinent, often the new ball swings for only one over. Whatever ideas Jaiswal conceived, the initial initiative has paid rich dividends for him.
Delhi Capitals left-armer Khaleel Ahmed was at the receiving end earlier this season when the 21-year-old smashed him for five boundaries. Chennai Super Kings left-arm pacer Akash Singh came under attack from Jaiswal, who hit three fours in the first four balls of the innings in Jaipur on Thursday.
Jaiswal’s early takedowns are fast becoming the hallmark of his powerplay dominance. No other batsman has hit more boundaries (12) in the first over this year.
This opening strike has been a significant difference between Jaiswal and the one Jaiswal has seen earlier in the IPL. He has already scored more runs (304 SR at 147.5) in eight matches than he scored in each of the previous three editions. With this intent high, Jaiswal entered the powerplay phase scoring 186 runs, behind only Faf du Plessis (201).
Against CSK, Jaiswal and Buttler got off to a quick start by scoring 64 runs in the first six, of which 40 runs were scored by the left-hander with the help of six fours and two sixes. Powerplay runs are proving to be the difference on pitches slowing down in the middle overs.
CSK skipper Dhoni said, “Yashasvi batted really well. It was important to go after the bowlers and I think he took calculated risks.” Win ‘a brilliant innings’ that built ‘momentum’.
time and correction
Jaiswal has been able to get the edge without compromising on his core strength, which is the timing of the ball. His back-to-back fours against Akash Singh off the first two balls of the innings were cover drives that would have made his childhood hero Sourav Ganguly proud. On other days like against Khaleel where the bowler came up short without enough force, Jaiswal went aerial from the start. On Thursday, he continued to deliver full length deliveries and waited for the area restrictions to be lifted before depositing Ravindra Jadeja for a six over the backward point boundary with a reverse sweep.
In a video posted by the Royals, Buttler is seen forming a box around the batting crease and demonstrating his bat swing against full-length balls to his young batting partner. Then, Jaiswal reproduced those shots in the nets, earning approval from Buttler. He is now counting the benefits in between.
Jaiswal said on Thursday, “I am talking with the seniors, getting all the information about the venue before deciding which shots I can play.” ,
RR captain Sanju Samson said, “During the off-season, Jaiswal has spent time at the RR academy hitting thousands of balls.” “We have got some pazzi (seniors) who are throwing at it and their shoulders are almost dislocated now. We are proud of her success and look forward to many more to come from her.”
Jaiswal dismisses Buttler, who is happy to play second fiddle. With the England batsman’s 360-degree ability, RR won’t be too worried knowing that a combative performance could be just around the corner. The left-right batting combination is scoring at a faster clip (370 runs, average 52.85, RR 9.73) than any other opening pair this year. Only Du Plessis-Virat Kohli (504 runs) have scored more runs than this.
