Vizag centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal was relieved and grateful to bring up his maiden ODI hundred on Saturday and credited seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for calming nerves during India’s chase of 271 against South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
The 23-year-old was named Man of the Match for an unbeaten 116 that led the way India won by nine wickets in the third and final ODI and sealed the 2-1 series win. Jaiswal admitted he was far from comfortable at the start of his innings and Rohit’s calm and assured presence at the other end proved invaluable. Playing only his fourth ODI, the youngster leaned heavily on the senior pacer as Rohit took over the scoring and talked him through the first turbulence.
“Thank you so much, I’ve really enjoyed these innings. It’s an amazing feeling to be honest and I’m really grateful and blessed to get my first ODI hundred. I’ve had starts in the last few games and I haven’t been able to convert them, so to get this one was really special. Rohit bhai and I were talking a lot about how we wanted to play the game in balance and he reminded me what pace we should play at chases. deep with singles and sometimes look for a boundary when it’s on,” Jaiswal said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Jaiswal explained how crucial the senior duo was in helping him rediscover his poise after a string of unconverted starts in the series.
“After I got to my fifty, I think I was a bit excited and he came over, shook his head, told me to calm down and stick to the plan. That really helped me settle down. Yeah, I had to control a lot of my natural attacking instincts today. I kept thinking about what shots I can play and when and stay patient. But I also knew if the moment came and came back. Virat bhai came in, everything was even calmer, he started playing his shots straight away and we chatted a lot, he was giving me small targets, five overs at a time, focus on twos, batting rotation and that really helped me to stay focused and finish strong. Overall, I’m really glad I was able to contribute and it’s a day to remember for sure,” added Jaiswal.
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The 38-year-old reached his fifty in 54 balls, restrained by his standards, but the innings still carried the familiar stamp of authority, three swinging sixes illuminating the chase. Rohit’s pace allowed Jaiswal space to settle in, work the gaps and reach his own fifty in 75 balls before he gradually loosened up. Once past the landmark, the left-hander unfurled the drives and cuts he had previously put aside and hit with a freer mind.
Rohit, who became only the fourth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli to cross 20,000 international runs looked poised for a hundred during his knock. But his innings ended with a badly timed sweep by Keshav Maharaj. The dismissal didn’t faze Jaiswal too much, who then benefited from Kohli’s arrival.
Kohli immediately got into his strokes and offered Jaiswal the perfect combination of intensity and clarity as the pair stitched together an unbeaten 156 runs for the second wicket. Jaiswal brought up his hundred in 111 balls with a single off Corbin Bosch and celebrated with an outburst of emotion: a helmet-off, a sprint, a jump and a roar that matched the frenzy of the nearly 27,000-strong crowd.
By the time Jaiswal (116 off 121 balls) and Rohit (75 off 73) had put on 155 in 25.5 overs, the match had settled into a formality. India moved to 271 for one in 39.5 overs, with Kohli adding a fluent, unbeaten 65 off 45 deliveries.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 6, 2025
