In India’s six-wicket victory over Afghanistan, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal declared his goal was to continue batting at a high strike-rate during the successful chase of 173 at the Holkar Stadium, following his match-winning 68 off 34 balls.
On January 17, with one game remaining in Bengaluru, India won the series thanks to Jaiswal’s fourth T20I fifty and his 92-run partnership with Shivam Dube, who scored 63 runs without missing any wickets. India finished the chase with 26 balls remaining.
“I was attempting to express myself as I had been told to do. I was focused on getting my team off to a strong start and trying to punish the loose balls. I was attempting to bat as deep as possible if I had made a strong start. I was attempting to maintain a high strike rate. In the press conference held after the game, Jaiswal stated, “I wanted to keep batting with a good strike rate.
Due to a groin strain, the left-handed batter missed the first Twenty20 International in Mohali, but he stated he is always eager to help the team. It’s about putting in a lot of effort during practice and trying to help the team whenever I can. I’m just attempting to be clear about my intentions and perform well for my team.” he added.
Jaiswal also delighted in his partnership with the talisman batsman Virat Kohli, who made 29 off 16 balls, during their 57-run stand for the second wicket. It was truly pleasant to be present. Every time I bat with Virat bhaiya, I gain a lot of knowledge.
We had brief conversations about where we could hit boundaries during this match as well. We came to the conclusion that hitting long on or mid-off was simple. Positive energy was present along with the intention. We simply wanted to make good shots,” he added.
With less than six months until the Men’s T20 World Cup, Dube – who recently scored his second consecutive fifty of the series—was happy with his contributions to India’s success thus far. The captain told me I played well and he is really happy with my performance. Both he and Jaiswal are skilled stroke players who are aware of our abilities. Our strategy was to attack and end the game early, but my job was to take on the spinners.
“The game should have been over sooner, but there was no specific goal in mind. I have worked on a lot of things, including how to mentally prepare for the T20 game in addition to skill. Managing stress and selecting which bowlers to take on.”
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