MI captain Rohit Sharma praises centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal after victory against RR
May 01, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 1 : Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday praised rival batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying he was surprised to see the youngster's power pack performance against his own team.
Mumbai Indians chased down the target of 213 runs against Rajasthan Royals to clinch the match by 6-wicket in a thrilling 1000th Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Jaiswal was unquestionably the star of the evening, taking Cameron Green to the stands on the fourth ball of the first over. His innings oozed class as he sought out space where none existed and smashed home some big strokes to record his first-ever IPL century. His innings was peppered with 16 boundaries and eight maximums, propelling his side to a respectable score.
Yashasvi Jaiswal lit up the Wankhede Stadium with a whirlwind 124 off 62 balls to power RR to a daunting 212/7. It was a splendid innings on a special occasion (1000th IPL match) as Mumbai was treated to a run-fest at the jam-packed Wankhede Stadium.
"I watched him (Jaiswal) last year, he's taken it to the next level. I asked him 'where did you get the power from'. He said he's been going to the gym, that's good for him, India and RR," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
Rohit said he was happy with the way the team went about its task of chasing the big total.
"Was pleasing to see how we chased down the target. Last game too, we came close and we back ourselves to chase them down. So it was pleasing. Tim (David) has got a lot of ability and power. At the back end that helps and is good to have," Rohit added.
The captain also stated that Jofra Archer's comeback to the side and full-throttle bowling was a significant plus.
"Jofra's had a massive injury, with bowlers we knew they need match practice. But his pace was a big positive and we thought Sky's innings like that was around the corner," the MI skipper added.
Coming to the match, MI needed 17 off the last over, RR captain Sanju Samson tossed the ball to Jason Holder but it all finished very quickly. David started off in a brilliant fashion as he cracked a flat six over long off, off the first ball. He sent the ball flying even far off the next ball as he plundered a full toss over deep mid-wicket and way into the stands. The next one flew in the same direction as David thrashed it out of the park to win it for MI with 6, 6, 6 to spark wild celebrations. He remained not out on 45 off 14 balls while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 29 off 21.