It’s not always about flair. Yashasvi Jaiswal showed that fight is equally important. Known for his cuts, pulls, and hits down the ground, the left-handed opener showed grit and determination to bring up his maiden ODI fifty for India.
Pressure in Gill’s absence
Jaiswal has been out of form on this South Africa tour of India, at least by his standards. He scored just 83 runs in the Test series. Then in the first two ODIs, he managed just 40 runs (18 and 22).
Shubman Gill’s absence granted Jaiswal an opportunity he hadn’t gotten before. He had three matches to stamp his authority as India’s backup opener. Ruturaj Gaikwad had already scored a hundred in Raipur, batting out of position at number four.
It felt like time was running out for Jaiswal. In the India vs South Africa 3rd ODI, he looked scratchy. Marco Jansen was consistently causing him trouble. So many deliveries whizzed past his bat, but luckily Jaiswal didn’t find an edge. His outside-off issues seemed to be flaring up, and he was fortunate to survive.
Jaiswal struggles towards fifty
Known for his natural ability to hit boundaries, Jaiswal struck just four (3 fours and 1 six) as he reached his fifty from 75 balls. For the majority of his innings, Jaiswal’s strike rate was lower than 60. Runs were flowing off Rohit Sharma’s bat, and that’s why he didn’t feel any pressure.
With the field spread out after the powerplay, Jaiswal ran his way towards his fifty via singles. 32 of his 50 runs had come through changing ends, and he played 39 dots in the process. By no means was it a regular half-century on a pitch that was favouring batters.
Converts it into a maiden ODI hundred
But with each passing ball, Jaiswal was growing in confidence. Since his India debut, he has played List A matches for Mumbai. It was only natural that he needed a little time in the middle to get back into the rhythm of 50-over cricket. Luckily, he had time. After his fifty, he let loose and struck 5 boundaries in his next 8 balls.
From 50 off 75, Jaiswal was 92 off 100. He took down the bowlers as Virat Kohli looked to settle down after Rohit’s dismissal in the 26th over. In the 90s, the opener started playing it safe. Instead of going for his shots, Jaiswal tried to rotate strike. In the 36th over, after flicking the ball to fine leg, Jaiswal brought up his maiden ODI hundred.
He celebrated by jumping in the air, removing his helmet and roaring in delight. As Kohli gave him a hug, the camera panned towards head coach Gautam Gambhir, who cracked a smile. Jaiswal joins Rohit, Kohli, Gill, KL Rahul and Suresh Raina’s league, becoming the sixth Indian batter with hundreds in all formats.
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