Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (PTI Photo) Yashasvi Jaiswal played a key role at the top as Rajasthan Royals staged a stunning chase against Punjab Kings and the young opener was full of praise for his opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the match.Chasing a daunting 223, Rajasthan were propelled early on with a blistering start, with Sooryavanshi smashing 43 off just 16 balls and Jaiswal contributing a composed 51 off 27. The pair added 51 runs in just 3.2 overs, setting the tone for what eventually became a six-wicket win thanks to four balls from Shubeir to substitute Dubovan.
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Kumar Sangakkara on RR’s win over Punjab KingsReflecting on the partnership, Jaiswal was clearly impressed with the youngster at the other end. “Obviously, it’s amazing. I’ve really enjoyed batting with him and he’s playing amazing. So it’s always, I’m always happy when I see the other end hitting the ball,” he said.When asked if he was the more experienced player in the partnership, Jaiswal downplayed it. “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 that to be honest,” he added.Jaiswal also shed light on the mindset during the steep chase, emphasizing clear intent from the very beginning. “Obviously we knew it was a high-scoring pitch. So we’ve got to keep the intent and we’ve got to go whenever we feel like it. So I was also thinking, well, if it’s in my range, I’ll hit it. And of course, like we need a good start because we’re scoring, we’ve got to hit 200 if it was pretty clear when we hit the ball.”Despite a brief slowdown in the middle overs, where Yuzvendra Chahal picked up key wickets, Jaiswal remained confident of the balance of the team and the environment.“I think it’s been pretty good. Everyone trusts each other and obviously not everyone will perform on the same day. But of course, we have a very good, good team. So we’re training hard. We’re focusing on the process and I think it will come at the right time, whenever it’s needed. I think we’re all enjoying it a lot. Very nice environment. We’re very happy, everybody, everybody, everybody loves it, so the guys love it.”In his approach at the summit, Jaiswal emphasized the importance of freedom and joy. “I think it’s all about having fun in the middle. And of course we know this game is like that as well. We have to, we have to keep our intent and think about scoring when we all take it to the locker room if we get somebody. So us, we should go after them. And yeah, we’re just enjoying it.”Rajasthan’s chase was eventually sealed by Ferreira’s unbeaten 52 off 26 and Dubey’s 31 off 12 as Punjab’s bowlers, including Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson and Marc Jansen, struggled to sustain a late onslaught despite early opposition.
