Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is a young man on the fast track ever since Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 got underway. First, he notched up his maiden IPL century earlier this season against the Mumbai Indians and on Thursday night, smashed the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL.
Jaiswal struck IPL’s fastest half-century in 13 balls en route to his magnificent 98 not out in 47 balls and has now scored 575 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 167 plus. He is just one run short of Faf du Plessis’s current aggregate of 576.
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Jaiswal revealed that whenever he gets a chance he talks to legendary Indian players like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. “I always try to be in the zone and remain in the atmosphere. I have many experienced legendary players around me. Whenever I get a chance I keep talking to MS bhai, Virat (Kohli) bhai, Rohit (Sharma) bhai, Jos (Buttler) bhai, Sanju (Samson) bhai on how to keep my mind calm, what to think,” Jaiswal said in the post-match press conference.
“I always try to learn, what all I can improve and bring into my game, how to control... This game is fully mental first then physical. You have to keep yourself in the zone,” the Royals opener added.
Jaiswal came to the limelight in 2019 when at 17 years and 292 days he became the youngest batter in the world to score a domestic one-day double century. Playing for his domestic team Mumbai, he scored 203 off 154 balls in their match against Jharkhand at Alur in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The Royals then invested in the 17-year-old roping him at Rs 2.4 crore, 12 times his base price for the IPL-2020. But he had scored only three fifties in 23 matches in his first three seasons before the breakthrough year came.
He also scored a 62-ball 124 against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede. Jaiswal said he is a team player and never paid attention to an approaching milestone while batting. “I never think about all this. I always think about what the team wants from me, what shots I can play. How to keep the run-rate high. We have seen 215 is chaseable here (Eden). It depends on team requirements. I try my best to do what my team needs, it’s well and good if I get to a milestone in the process,” Jaiswal said.
The harder you train, the easier it gets in a match situation is a basic theme but very difficult to follow at times. Putting his effort into systemic training, Jaiswal has found success and his India call-up will be a matter of time. “My thumb rule is on my routine and the process, it matters a lot to me. I try my best to keep my focus on that and keep learning every match. It's very important as I have to take my game forward,” he added.
