Preferred to Gill in the second T20I against Afghanistan at the Holkar Stadium here on Sunday night, Yashasvi Jaiswal showed exactly why this Mumbai left-hander is now almost certainty penned in as one India’s openers for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies & USA in June.
Pulverising the Afghan attack along with all-rounder Shivam Dube, the Mumbai left-hander bludgeoned his way to a 34-ball 68 that contained six massive sixes and five sweetly-timed fours.
Post the match, the 22-year-old revealed that he enjoyed batting with former India captain Virat Kohli, with whom he forged a 57-run stand in just 28 balls for the second wicket en route to India’s six-wicket win.
“It was really nice to be there. Whenever I bat with Virat bhaiya, I get to learn a lot. Today also, we had small chats on where we could hit. We decided that it was easy to hit over long on or mid-off. The intent was there, and there were positive vibes as well. We were just trying to hit good shots,” Jaiswal said.
It’s clear that the free-stroking Jaiswal has been given the licence by the Indian team management to go for his shots from ball one.
“I have been told to express myself and try to do what I do. It’s about working hard in the practice sessions, and whenever I get the chance, I try to contribute to the team. I am just doing that,” the youngster said.
