Yashasvi Jaiswal is a superstar of IPL and will make the country proud in future: Suresh Raina

Rajasthan Royals regained the top spot in the TATA IPL 2023 standings after a comfortable 32-run win in a top-of-the-table clash against the Chennai Super Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday night. 

The Royals made the most of a brilliant start and put up a challenging 202/5, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 77 in 43 deliveries (8x4, 4x6). CSK tried to stay in the hunt thanks largely to Shivam Dube’s 52 (33b, 2x4, 4x6), but it just wasn’t enough. RR and CSK are tied on 10 points each after eight games, but RR’s superior run rate has given them the top spot in the standings for now, while CSK also trail Gujarat Titans and are at the third spot. 

JioCinema TATA IPL expert Suresh Raina was extremely impressed with the poise Jaiswal showed during his knock, saying: “His head position is great and as Robin (Uthappa) said when he hit a reverse sweep, it stayed so still. He plays close to the body, and what I like the most is that his head, whenever he drives the ball, is also very still. When it doesn’t move much, you can get a lot of power into your shot, your swing goes well. It’s very important when he hits his shots, especially his cover drive. He respects a good bowler and gives himself time. He knows how to build a game beyond the first six overs. The greatest hallmark of an opener is you attack from overs number 1 to 6, and from overs 7-11, you consolidate. Robin said it well; he’s a superstar of the IPL and will make the country proud in the future.” 

 Raina also commented on the general flow of the game and how RR’s terrific start essentially meant CSK would have a hard time chasing the total. “They won the toss and decided to bat, a decision that suited them. Mahi bhai said at the start of his presentation that when you’re chasing 200, you have to get a start of about 60-70. That’s where they took a beating. In the middle order, other batsmen did well, but they still lost by 30-40 runs because Rajasthan had 64 runs in 6 overs. That difference cost them the match.” 

Spinner Adam Zampa enjoyed an impactful three-over spell, ending with figures of 3/22 and sending both CSK openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, back to the pavilion. JioCinema TATA IPL expert Eoin Morgan hailed the Australian bowler for his performance, saying: “Adam Zampa stepped in and bowled beautifully, under pressure in both games. Taking on the responsibility in the powerplay, and then he was taken out of the attack but came back later and bowled beautifully. It’s brilliant to see the role he’s playing for the Royals this year.”