IPL 2021: Yashasvi Jaiswal happy after MS Dhoni autographed his bat following RR vs CSK match

Rajasthan Royals’ batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was over the moon after Chennai Super Kings’ skipper MS Dhoni autographed his bat after Saturday’s game at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The left-hander Jaiswal had a day to remember on October 2 as the southpaw scored a sparkling 19-ball half-century, laying the platform for RR in their run-chase.

The youngster scored a 21-ball 50 with six fours and three sixes after which KM Asif cut short his stay in the middle. Jaiswal was also involved in a 77-run partnership with Evin Lewis off a mere 32 balls. The duo brought the required run-rate below eight on an excellent batting strip after which RR chased 190 down with 15 balls to spare.

After his match-winning knock, Jaiswal talked about latching on to the good balls and pushing the Super Kings in the backfoot. After the Royals won the game, he also made it a point to take Dhoni’s autograph on his bat.

I am really happy, says Yashasvi Jaiswal

“I was thinking about looking at the wicket first, but we were chasing 190, I knew the wicket must be good. I was just looking at capitalising on the loose balls and giving my team a good start so that we are able to chase 190,” Jaiswal told Shivam Dube and Anuj Rawat in a video posted on IPL’s official website.

“I took signature of MS Dhoni on my bat after the match, I am really happy,” he added.

Sanju Samson, the Royals’ skipper, who scored 28 in the game, had words of praises for Jaiswal. He said that Lewis and Jaiswal sealed the fate of the game more or less in the first six overs of RR’s run-chase.

“Aware of the abilities of our youngsters, that’s why we get disappointed when we lose matches. Our openers finished off the game in the PP, Jaiswal was superb, hopefully he’ll make it big,” Samson was quoted as saying after the match.

In IPL 2021, Jaiswal has racked up 237 runs at an average of 29.62 and a strike rate of 151.92. He is also the second-highest run-scorer for his team this season after Samson, who has 480 runs with one century and two half-centuries.