Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes youngest Indian batter to register a T20I hundred in men's cricket
Yashasvi Jaiswal created history on Tuesday, October 3, becoming the youngest Indian batter to register a T20I hundred in men’s cricket. The 21-year-old left-handed batter slammed 100 off 49 balls as India posted 202/4 in their 20 overs in the Asian Games 2023 quarter-final against Nepal at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou.
Before Jaiswal (21 years, 279 days), Shubman Gill (23 years, 146 days) was the youngest Indian to slam a T20I ton. Suresh Raina scored a T20I century when he was 23 years and 156 days old. Jaiswal's ton is the first three-figure score by an Indian in the Asian Games and the joint-fourth fastest hundred by an Indian in T20Is.
The Men in Blue batted first after winning the toss and Jaiswal dominated the innings, smacking eight fours and seven sixes. The southpaw and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (25 off 23) added 103 for the opening wicket in 9.5 overs. Jaiswal struck consecutive sixes off Karan KC in the second over.
He raced to a 22-ball fifty by launching Sandeep Lamichhane for a maximum over long-off. The opening partnership was broken when Indian captain Gaikwad was caught at deep midwicket, trying to go after Dipendra Singh Airee.
Tilak Varma was bowled by Sompal Kami for 2. Debutant Jitesh Sharma was out for 5, caught and bowled by Lamichhane. Jaiswal, however, kept attacking. On 95, he hit a lap shot off Kami over short fine leg and celebrated thinking he had reached his hundred. However, the ball had landed inside the ropes.
The opener reached his much-deserved hundred off 48 balls off the next delivery, nudging the bowler to the leg side for a single.
Rinku Singh's cameo lifts India past 200 after Jaiswal’s exit
Jaiswal was dismissed immediately after reaching his 100, miscuing a full toss off Airee. However, Rinku Singh (37* off 15) played a brilliant cameo, while Shivam Dube (25* off 19) also chipped in as India finished on a high.
Rinku slammed Abinash Bohara and Rohit Paudel for sixes in consecutive overs. He went absolutely berserk against Bohara in the last over, launching him for two sixes and two fours as 25 runs came in the last over.
IND vs NEP, Asian Games 2023 QF 1: Playing XIs
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh.
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Sundeep Jora, Gulsan Jha, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Abinash Bohara, Sandeep Lamichhane.