Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal had a rollercoaster season for the inaugural champions in Tata IPL 2022. Jaiswal was retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction and he was given the opportunity to open the innings with Jos Buttler.
However, the southpaw could not grab his opportunity with both hands as he returned with scores of 20, 4, and 1 in the first three matches he played. Subsequently, the team’s think tank decided to drop him and Devdutt Padikkal was promoted as an opener.
After missing a few matches, the left-hander made a roaring comeback as he scored a fine knock of 68 runs off just 41 balls against Punjab Kings. Jaiswal went on score 258 runs at a strike rate of 132.99 in 10 matches he played at an average of 25.80 in IPL 2022.
Jaiswal said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo: “I never doubted myself. I kept believing and trusting that I will do it. That was the best thing. I think I’m very strong mentally. Nobody will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.”
The youngster revealed it was an amazing experience to bat with Jos Buttler, who went on to score 863 runs in 17 matches for RR and clinched the Orange cap.
“It was amazing batting with him. We talk a lot – maybe not in the middle but outside the ground. He just tells me simple and clear things that I need to do. If he says something, I trust him and follow it, and it helps me. I was very happy batting with him. He just says, ‘Play good cricketing shots and I try to follow it.”
On the other hand, Jaiswal had impressed in the Under-19 World Cup in 2020 as he had finished as the highest run-getter and he was roped in for INR 2.4 crores by RR. However, the left-hander could not grab his opportunity in his debut season as he scored only 40 runs in three matches he played. Jaiswal revealed he hadn’t played any cricket for seven to eight months because of Covid-19 pandemic.
“I hadn’t played for seven-eight months. I had a shoulder injury. And during the lockdown there wasn’t much practice either. Then suddenly to go in a high-competition game…”
Jaiswal has definitely shown the skills to go a long way in his career and he will look to continue the good show.
