3 times Yashasvi Jaiswal tormented CSK with the bat in the IPL
Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in superb form of late. He had a pretty good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy towards the end of 2022 and has now carried that form into the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He has already scored 304 runs in eight IPL games so far, at an average of 38 and a strike rate of close to 150. The southpaw has scored three half-centuries this year and is sixth on the list of highest run-getters.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, along with Jos Buttler, has given the Royals brilliant starts and the duo have been one of the most formidable opening combinations this year.
Having played 31 IPL games overall, the southpaw is still quite new but has already played a few phenomenal knocks. He has taken a special liking to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), against whom he has a great record.
On that note, let's take a look at three occasions when he tormented CSK with the bat.
#1 77 off 43 balls (IPL 2023, Jaipur)
Yashasvi Jaiswal tormented CSK on Thursday when Rajasthan hosted the Super Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to bat first and Jaiswal validated his skipper's decision to the core. The southpaw smashed 77 runs off 43 balls at a strike rate of almost 180 to lay the foundation for a huge total. His innings included four sixes and eight boundaries.
Thanks to his superb knock and contributions from Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Paddikal, RR went on to post a total of 202 runs.
In response, CSK could only manage a total of 170, handing RR a comfortable 32-run victory. The win helped RR get to the top of the points table and Jaiswal quite deservingly received the Player of the Match.
#2 59 off 44 balls (IPL 2022, Mumbai)
Chennai and Rajasthan locked horns with each other in their final league game of IPL 2022. CSK batted first and put up a score of 150 on the board. Moeen Ali was the chief contributor, scoring 93 runs.
The match was an important one for RR as a win would guarantee them a top-two finish. Yashasvi Jaiswal stepped up once again as he scored a half-century during the chase, finishing with 59 runs off 44 deliveries. His innings was crucial as the target was not a huge one and RR needed someone to get them off to a stable start.
A fantastic knock from Ravichandran Ashwin helped Rajasthan cross the finish line with two deliveries to spare.
#3 50 off 21 balls (IPL 2021, Abu Dhabi)
In a game between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals in 2021, Yahasvi Jaiswal troubled Dhoni's team for the first time.
Batting first, CSK scored 189-4, courtesy of a marvelous century by Ruturaj Gaikwad and a spectacular cameo by Ravindra Jadeja.
Chasing 190 was never going to be easy, but Jaiswal gave Rajasthan just the start that they needed. The then 19-year-old smashed a half-century off just 21 deliveries and was involved in a 77-run opening stand with Evin Lewis. His dashing innings included three maximums and six boundaries.
Thanks to the foundation laid by the youngster, RR chased down the total in just 17.3 overs.