In a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match on Sunday in Ambi, Pune, defending champions Mumbai defeated Haryana by four wickets thanks to a blistering 48-ball century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been overlooked by the national selectors for the T20 setup.
Jaiswal (101 off 50 balls) and Sarfaraz Khan (64 off 24 balls) came out all guns blazing to chase down a stiff target of 235 set by Haryana in 17.3 overs and keep their chances of qualifying for the summit clash alive after tamely surrendering to Hyderabad in the opening Super League game, which negatively affected their Net Run Rate.
In just 6.1 overs, the duo added 88 runs, making a challenging chase seem effortless. Jaiswal asked his teammate Sarfaraz to accompany him to pick up the Rs 50,000 “Player of the Match” cheque during the post-match award ceremony.
They had no idea the devastation that would ensue when Haryana captain Ankit Kumar (89 off 42 balls) and gifted all-rounder Nishant Sindhu (63 no off 38 balls) scored 110 runs in only 8.1 overs.
Jaiswal put new-ball bowler Anshul Kamboj (1/63 in 4 overs) and left-armer Ishant Bhardwaj (1/56 in 3 overs) to the test, hitting both of them for numerous sixes and boundaries while veteran Ajinkya Rahane (21 off 10 balls) got things going.
The issue with all the Haryana quicks was that their speeds were in the range of 125 to 130 kmph, which is precisely what the doctor ordered for Mumbai on a placid track.
Short balls set up nicely allowing Jaiswal to hit pull-shots and ramp shots over third man, and their half-volleys were driven. Jaiswal struck 16 fours, including a six and five off Kamboj alone.
With some sneaky ramps and bold lap drives off Bhardwaj, Sarfaraz did his IPL auction cause no harm once he entered. Clearly, the left-arm military medium bowler’s lack of pace helped him all the way.
Jaiswal played a supporting role when Sarfaraz took the lead and reached his 50 off 16 balls, but the left-hander quickly won the game after the burly man was removed.
Before the global event begins, Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir may be tempted to give Jaiswal one final look during the series against New Zealand T20Is because Shubman Gill’s form isn’t inspiring confidence of the highest order.
