(Cricket News) Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the eve of the first T20I in Mohali, received confirmation from head coach Rahul Dravid that he is the preferred opening choice alongside captain Rohit Sharma. Unfortunately, the left-hander missed the opening match due to a groin injury. However, in Indore, he substantiated his coach’s belief. His impressive innings of 68 off 34 balls at the top of the order, along with Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 63 off 32 balls, played a crucial role in India securing a six-wicket series-clinching victory. The hosts comfortably chased down the target of 173 with 26 balls to spare.

“Kaafi maza aaya batting karne mey, Wicket bhi kaafi acha tha (I enjoyed my batting; the wicket was also very good). We had a really good target to chase, and in my mind, I wanted to give a good start,” Jaiswal shared with BCCI.tv.

The southpaw also revealed the advice he received from captain Rohit Sharma before taking the strike. “Wo kehte hain tu jaa aur bindaas khel (Just go and play your shots freely). He’s always there to look after us. It’s always incredible if you have a senior like him,” he said. On Fazalhaq Farooqui’s run out, Jaiswal said: “I was a little confused. Maarun ke naa maarun… And then I decided I should sprint and dislodge the wickets,” he said.

Jaiswal put on a quick 57-run stand with Virat Kohli, and talking about that partnership, the southpaw said: “It’s always a pleasure to bat along with Virat Bhaiyya. It’s an honour to play with him. We had conversations like what shot we can play on this wicket or which areas we can hit.” “Abhi mujhe aur mehnat karni hai ur acha karna hai (I still need to work hard and want to do well),” he added.

India is set to play the third match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

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