FLORIDA (US): Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal commented on comparisons of his opening pairing with Shubman Gill to the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, saying that the duo are legends of the game and the new pairing has “long way to go”.
India sealed off a comfortable 9-wicket victory for the visitors to level the five-match T20I series against West Indies on 2-2 at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground on Saturday.
“What they (Rohit and Shikhar) have done is amazing. They are legends of the game. I just think that we just need to go and try doing what we can do. We have a long way to go,” said Jaiswal in a post-match press conference.
Rohit and Dhawan since 2011 have opened in 117 innings for India, scoring 5,193 runs together at an average of 45.15, with 18-century stands and 15 half-century stands.
Jaiswal said that he is always up to listen to the experiences of his seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya.
“I go and talk with my seniors. We have amazing bunch of seniors like Rohit bhaiya, Virat bhaiya, Hardik bhaiya, Surya bhaiya and Rhaul sir. The way they talk. I make sure to listen to their experiences. I just try to gather as much information possible from their talks and put that in my game,” the 21-year-old said.
Jaiswal added that to achieve something big, staying disciplined and maintaining self-belief is vital.
“I just keep telling myself that ‘I trust, I believe and I will do that.’ To achieve that I need to be disciplined, I need to eat well, sleep well, practice hard. I think it is all about believing in yourself. You need to work hard, stick to your process and keep fighting. There will be hope. Keep telling yourself that I can do this, keep trusting in your abilities. Working hard is important, when the pressure comes that will help you,” he commented.
Jaiswal on a concluding note said that though it is nice to play for India, it is just a start.
“Representing our country is always a proud moment. It was really nice to get my fifty as well. There are a lot of thoughts and work behind it. I am so blessed and grateful that I am able to express myself. It is just a start. I need to keep milking it. I want to make sure that I am ready for tomorrow (decider),” Jaiswal concluded.
India has levelled the series 2-2 with this win, with one more game to go, which will be played on Sunday.
Electing to bat first, West Indies was reduced to 57/4 in 6.5 overs by the duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.
Shai Hope (45 in 29 balls with three fours and two sixes) and Shimron Hetmyer helped WI cross the 100-run mark. Hetmyer finally clicked on the white-ball tour, scoring 61 in 39 balls, consisting of three fours and four sixes. He and Odean Smith (15* in 12 balls) helped WI reach a total of 178/8 in 20 overs.
Arshdeep (3/38) and Kuldeep (2/26) were the best bowlers for India, offering a cocktail of spin and pace that had WI in trouble in the initial stages. Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mukesh Kumar had a wicket each.
Chasing 179, India got the start they were just looking for. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill took full advantage of the flat, batting-friendly nature of the surface and piled up runs, taking the team to the brink of a win single-handedly.
The 165-run opening stand between the duo ended with Gill dismissed by Romario Shepherd for 77 off 47 balls, consisting of three fours and five sixes. Jaiswal (84* in 51 balls with 11 fours and three sixes) and Tilak Varma (7*) helped India chase the total with three overs to spare.
Jaiswal earned the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his performance. (ANI)