'If I'd gotten a 300 in the first innings, it'd have been better'- Yashaswi Jaiswal after leading Rest of India to a resounding victory in Irani Cup 2023

Yashaswi Jaiswal (Source: Twitter)

Rest of India batter Yashaswi Jaiswal grabbed headlines after his breathtaking knocks of 213 and 144 against Madhya Pradesh in the Irani Cup 2023 on Saturday. The 21-year-old's aggressive batting in both innings saw his team win the match by a massive 238 runs. Jaiswal smashed 30 fours and three sixes off 259 balls in his first innings' double ton, followed by 16 fours and three maximums in the second innings at a strike rate of 91.71.

However, the youngster didn't seem too excited after winning the Player of the Match as he said he would have been happier if he had scored 300 in the first innings. Speaking at the post-match ceremony after Rest of India’s emphatic win in the Irani Cup, Jaiswal said, “If I'd remained not out and gotten a 300 in the first innings, it'd have been better but I'm happy.”

371 runs partnership between Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran

The left-handed batter shared a massive partnership of 371 runs with his team's opener Abhimanyu Easwaran in the first innings. Easwaran scored 154 runs off 240 balls in the first innings but did not perform well in the next innings as he was dismissed for 28 runs. Hailing his partner, Jaiswal said it was amazing to bat with a senior partner and he guided him for his big innings.

“Initially, the ball was moving and I was trying to bat through when they were bowling well. I was discussing the bowlers' plan with my partner and back my game. On day 1, when I had an experienced partner in Easwaran, it was easier as he was guiding me. It was amazing to bat with him and the seniors, it was a good learning for me," he said.

Jaiswal, who now has nine hundred in 15 first-class games, has slammed 1845 runs at an average of 80.21. His second innings was completely dominating and the next best score was 30 by all-rounder Atit Sheth. Jaiswal's flawless innings also helped the Rest of India to retain the Irani Cup in Gwalior. The Mayank Agarwal-led team eased to victory in the end as Madhya Pradesh needed a further 356 runs on Day 5 to chase down a target of 437.