Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 104 and Sandeep Sharma’s impressive five for 18 guided Rajasthan Royals to a commanding nine-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game on Monday.
Earlier, Sandeep Sharma’s impressive five-wicket haul restricted Mumbai to 179-9, complementing Yuzvendra Chahal’s milestone of claiming 200 IPL wickets at Rajasthan’s home ground in Jaipur.
Jaiswal, reflecting on his stellar performance, said, “I really enjoyed from the start and I made sure I was watching the ball properly and playing proper cricketing shots.”
Jaiswal struck his second IPL hundred – both versus Mumbai — as he smashed nine fours and seven sixes in his 60-ball knock and put on 109 runs with skipper Sanju Samson, who made 38.
Rajasthan, reminiscent of their inaugural IPL triumph in 2008 under Shane Warne’s leadership, secured their seventh win in eight matches. Jaiswal’s stellar innings, marked by nine fours and seven sixes, included his second IPL hundred, both against Mumbai.
Sharma’s remarkable five-for, his first in T20 cricket, overshadowed Chahal’s milestone achievement.
Despite Chahal’s significant feat, Sharma’s crucial contributions, particularly in the final over where he claimed three wickets, earned him the Man of the Match title.
Reflecting on Mumbai’s performance, skipper Hardik Pandya said, “After the game, it’s not the right time to go to the players, everyone is professional, they know their roles.”
“What we can do is learn from this game and the mistakes which we have made, rectify it and make sure that we don’t repeat it,” he said.
Pandya has faced a tough time this season after he replaced veteran Rohit Sharma as skipper only to be booed by the fans across venues.
Jaiswal’s aggressive batting, which included hitting South African speedster Gerald Coetzee for a six and two fours, propelled Rajasthan to a promising start. Despite a brief rain delay, Rajasthan’s pursuit remained relentless, with Jaiswal and Samson comfortably steering their team to victory.
(AFP)
