Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with the bat in India’s series-levelling nine-wicket victory over West Indies in the fourth game of the five-T20I series in Florida on Saturday (August 12).
Opting to bat first, the Caribbean team posted 178/8 on the board on the back of Shimron Hetmyer’s 39-ball 61.
In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target with three overs to spare. The duo of Jaiswal and Shubman Gill added a record 165-run partnership for the opening wicket to put West Indies out of the contest.
While Gill got out after scoring 77 in 47 balls, Jaiswal held the one end and stayed unbeaten on 84 from 51 balls to take his team over the line.
Speaking after the game, Jaiswal, who earned the Player-of-the-Match award in his second T20I appearance, admitted that performing at the highest level is not easy but he loves to cash in on the opportunities that come his way.
“It's not easy, I am happy to go out there and express myself. I would like to thank the support staff and Hardik bhai, they've shown faith. That shows so much impact on my mind,” Jaiswal said at the post-match presentation.
“I try to play how team needs and how I can express myself towards the plan. I try to score quickly, how many shots I can play in the powerplay and put my team in a nice shape. Reading the wicket, reading the situation, how I can take the game deep everything is important. My intent is always to score runs,” he added.
Playing alongside Jason Holder and Obed McCoy in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals helped Jaiswal to read their bowling.
“I have played a lot of balls against them (Holder and McCoy in the IPL), helped me to read them,” the southpaw said.
Reflecting on his partnership with Gill, Jaiswal said: “It (partnership with Gill) was really amazing the way we were talking and the way we were taking singles and understanding each other. He batted really well. The way he was rotating the strike, it's really important to build the partnership.”
In the end, Yashasvi Jaiswal thanked the fans for turning up in huge numbers to support the Indian team.
“I want to thank everyone coming here and supporting us in this heat. Thank you so much,” he concluded.
The series-deciding fifth and final T20I will be played at the same venue on Sunday (August 13).
