Ahead of the second phase of IPL 2021, Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India’s domestic giant Mumbai beat Oman in a one-day series in Muscat.

Apart from his batting exploits, the tour also gave the southpaw an opportunity to have a one-on-one session with his idol, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

"My idol has always been Sachin Tendulkar, and I was really fortunate to have a conversation with him before the Oman tour. I was glad that the Mumbai Cricket Association invited him for a session before we left Mumbai to play against Oman.

"I was over the moon when I first heard he was going to be present there, and when I had the chance to speak to him at length, he was really humble and helped me on some skills where he thought I could improve on. It was good to see that a legend like him was aware of my game, and it was certainly a very happy moment for me. I can't wait to keep implementing those things in my game and express myself better on the field," Jaiswal said after joining the RR squad in Dubai, as quoted by IANS.

The 19-year-old amassed nearly 300 runs in the one-day and T20 series combined, including scores of 90, 82 and 75.

Reflecting on his performance against Oman, Yashasvi said: "It was good practice for me before the big matches in the IPL. It had been a while since I had played competitive cricket, and to play against an international team like Oman is certainly good preparation. I'm happy I could score some runs and win some matches for my team."

"I had a very good series against Oman and in similar conditions to the UAE. I'm really happy with the way I'm playing my cricket at the moment, and I can't wait to replicate these performances in the IPL against much stronger line-ups."

Yashasvi Jaiswal made the most of the off-season as he utilized Royals' state-of-the-art facilities in Nagpur to improve in some areas.

"I did a lot of hard work during the lockdown. I went to Nagpur to train at the Royals Centre of Excellence and we had various sessions which were focused on my fitness, technique, mind, and skills. So, I really want to repay the franchise's faith by performing and taking my team to the playoffs, and I also believe that if we can play to our full potential, we will be able to win a lot of matches and go a long way in the tournament."

(With IANS inputs)