Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal after Rajasthan Royals registered a comprehensive 50-run win against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Saturday.
Jaiswal could not deliver in the first three matches of the tournament but found his A-game against PBKS. The left-hander scored 67 runs off 45 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes. The southpaw scored his runs at a strike rate of 148.89 and played a key role in helping RR post a par score of 205 runs on the board.
Jaiswal added 89 runs for the opening alliance with captain Sanju Samson and laid down the foundation.
“The excellent news is that Yashasvi is back in form. He is a mighty player, but he was having difficulties against the short ball. Here too, he was almost caught once, but thank god he wasn’t. He played extremely well,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“It was a personal thing for me as well as I thought he would be in the Orange Cap race, that he would be among the top three run-getters, and I felt it was over when he started like that (in the tournament). He got out to Lockie Ferguson for sure, but he scored important runs,” he added.
Chopra added that Sanju Samson-Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partnership helped RR in posting a par score on the board.
“Actually, the opening partnership with Sanju Samson – if you win the powerplay, don’t lose a wicket, and your openers stay for 10 overs, you will be restricted to 170-175 only if you play very badly. If you play well, you will go beyond 200, and that’s what happened,” Chopra observed.
On the other hand, Riyan Parag played a crucial knock of 43 runs off just 25 balls and the reputed commentator hailed the batter for his contribution.
“In the end, there was some incredible hitting by Riyan Parag, and he showed that he is actually a special player. When he gets going, he bats very well. He struck clean hits and took the team beyond 200. Lockie Ferguson was brilliant. He bowled extremely well,” he said.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
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