Yashasvi Jaiswal, 24, is used to being the aggressor at the top of the order. At Rajasthan Royals this IPL season, he has found himself in an unfamiliar spot watching a 15-year-old take the attack away from him ball after ball, and being perfectly happy about it.
The Jaiswal-Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opening partnership has been one of the talking points of the season. The two bring contrasting styles to the same goal: Sooryavanshi goes hard from ball one with little regard for risk; Jaiswal attacks with more control and structure. The combination has kept RR firmly in playoff contention.
It showed again against Punjab Kings, where the pair put on an opening stand of 51 to set up a successful chase and snap PBKS’s unbeaten streak. Of those 51 runs, Sooryavanshi contributed 43. Jaiswal, who made 51 off 27 balls himself, was content to let his younger partner own the moment.
After the match, Jaiswal made no attempt to hide how much he enjoys the arrangement.
“It’s amazing. I really enjoy batting with him. He is playing amazing so I’m always happy seeing the other end, the way he’s hitting the ball,” he said.
When asked whether batting alongside a 15-year-old makes him feel like the senior pro, Jaiswal paused and then gave an answer that was equal parts honest and amusing.
Also Read:Riyan Parag Caught Vaping in Dressing Room During IPL
“I don’t think so, I’m older. I’m still very young, but of course, the way he is and he’s quite young. So, I don’t know what to say about it, to be honest,” he said.
The Chase Plan
Jaiswal also explained RR’s approach going into a 200-plus target, saying the intent was clear from the start. “We knew that it’s a high-scoring ground. So we have to keep the intent and we have to go whenever we feel like. So I was also thinking, okay, if it is in my range, so I’m gonna hit it. We needed a good start because we have to score more than 200 runs. So it was pretty clear that we are going to hit the ball if it is in our arc,” he said.