Jaiswal steals Rohit's thunder as India rout Afghanistan 3-0 in ODI series
Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a splendid 110* in the final match of India's ODI series against Afghanistan. Jaiswal's innings stole the thunder from two terrific performances on the day - first by Prasidh Krishna, and then by Rohit Sharma.
This was supposed to be Rohit Sharma's night. The MA Chidambaram Stadium had been buzzing with 'Rohit, Rohit' chants throughout the day in the sweltering heat in Chennai, hoping for that one big knock from the former India captain this series.
Chasing just 219 runs, with the series already in the bag, Rohit Sharma came out to bat in the second innings with no scoreboard pressure at all. He started in a conservative manner and took his time on a wicket that exhibited extra bounce with the new ball.
This was his moment, and nobody was going to take it away from him.
Since losing his captaincy to Shubman Gill, this has become a defining feature of Rohit Sharma's batting. He understands that this is not his team anymore, and nobody would care about the 'approach' if he does not have the bulk of runs to back it. That method has paid dividends, and it looked set to pay dividends again.
But just as Rohit took his time and prepared to take the attack to the opposition, it was the man on the other end who took the thunder away from his innings.
IND vs AFG 3rd ODI: Live Updates | Scorecard
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who remains on the fringes of the Indian team and has only got this opportunity due to the absence of Virat Kohli, scored a splendid century at Chepauk and took the limelight away from the legendary former captain.
Jaiswal placed a premium on his wicket and broke down the opposition attack one cut at a time. He kept the bat face down, playing all his shots along the ground, knowing well that opportunities come few and far between.
While Rohit scored a splendid 79-run knock in a partnership that lasted 23 overs and yielded 170 runs for India, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who led the chase with a thundering 110 not out off just 86 balls.
Both Jaiswal and Rohit came into the game with the intention of finishing things.
Rohit has been batting well this series; only the big scores have not been coming.
In the previous match, Rohit scored 48 - one of the most fluent 48s we have seen from his bat in recent times. But it was perfect only till it wasn't. Rohit got clean bowled by Rashid Khan after failing to read his googly.
Today, when Rashid came on to bowl, Rohit did not attack a single ball in the spinner's first over.
With his eyes set, Rohit's first attack against Rashid came in the 14th over - Rashid's 10th ball of the match.
The first one was whipped over mid-wicket for four.
The second was swept for six.
The third, another thunderous sweep for four to bring up his half-century.
From there on, Rohit attacked Rashid and forced him to concede 7.60 runs per over in his seven-over spell.
The batter finally fell in the 23rd over while trying to pull Mohammad Nabi for a six.
Rohit lowered his head and dragged himself off the field.
You could see that he wanted that hundred. He wanted that big score before heading to England for the next ODI series because, of all people, Rohit knows that he needs those milestones to remain bulletproof in front of the selection committee.
Rohit's dismissal briefly shifted the crowd's attention back to the former India captain before they got hooked on Yashasvi Jaiswal again, who finished the chase with a six in the 29th over.
PRASIDH KRISHNA STAKES HIS CLAIM FOR WORLD CUP
Earlier in the day, India's bowlers had ensured that the chase never became complicated.
Prasidh Krishna produced the best spell of his ODI career, picking up 5 for 23 and tearing through Afghanistan's top order with a relentless opening burst.
Bowling fuller than usual and exploiting the extra bounce available at Chepauk, Prasidh reduced Afghanistan to 36 for four inside the first 10 overs.
Three of those wickets came in almost identical fashion.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah all pushed outside off and edged to Rohit Sharma at first slip, while Darwish Rasooli's attempted counterattack ended in Shreyas Iyer's hands.
Afghanistan were heading towards a collapse before captain Hashmatullah Shahidi slowed things down.
Shahidi batted with remarkable patience for his maiden ODI hundred and stitched together rescue partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi to drag Afghanistan to 218.
Battling cramps late in the innings, the left-hander carried Afghanistan deep before Prasidh returned to dismiss him and complete his maiden ODI five-wicket haul.
India will take the 3-0 scoreline and move on to England with little concern. But Saturday perhaps said something more interesting about where this team stands.
Rohit Sharma looked in control but did not get his hundred. Prasidh Krishna finally put together the kind of spell that Indian cricket has been waiting for from him.
But the loudest statement came from the batter at the other end. Yashasvi Jaiswal got his opportunity and made sure nobody could ignore him.
This was supposed to be Rohit's night. Instead, as Chepauk rose for one of its favourite cricketers, it was Jaiswal who stole the thunder and walked away with the headlines.
This was supposed to be Rohit Sharma's night. The MA Chidambaram Stadium had been buzzing with 'Rohit, Rohit' chants throughout the day in the sweltering heat in Chennai, hoping for that one big knock from the former India captain this series.
Chasing just 219 runs, with the series already in the bag, Rohit Sharma came out to bat in the second innings with no scoreboard pressure at all. He started in a conservative manner and took his time on a wicket that exhibited extra bounce with the new ball.
This was his moment, and nobody was going to take it away from him.
Since losing his captaincy to Shubman Gill, this has become a defining feature of Rohit Sharma's batting. He understands that this is not his team anymore, and nobody would care about the 'approach' if he does not have the bulk of runs to back it. That method has paid dividends, and it looked set to pay dividends again.
But just as Rohit took his time and prepared to take the attack to the opposition, it was the man on the other end who took the thunder away from his innings.
IND vs AFG 3rd ODI: Live Updates | Scorecard
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who remains on the fringes of the Indian team and has only got this opportunity due to the absence of Virat Kohli, scored a splendid century at Chepauk and took the limelight away from the legendary former captain.
Jaiswal placed a premium on his wicket and broke down the opposition attack one cut at a time. He kept the bat face down, playing all his shots along the ground, knowing well that opportunities come few and far between.
While Rohit scored a splendid 79-run knock in a partnership that lasted 23 overs and yielded 170 runs for India, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who led the chase with a thundering 110 not out off just 86 balls.
Both Jaiswal and Rohit came into the game with the intention of finishing things.
Rohit has been batting well this series; only the big scores have not been coming.
In the previous match, Rohit scored 48 - one of the most fluent 48s we have seen from his bat in recent times. But it was perfect only till it wasn't. Rohit got clean bowled by Rashid Khan after failing to read his googly.
Today, when Rashid came on to bowl, Rohit did not attack a single ball in the spinner's first over.
With his eyes set, Rohit's first attack against Rashid came in the 14th over - Rashid's 10th ball of the match.
The first one was whipped over mid-wicket for four.
The second was swept for six.
The third, another thunderous sweep for four to bring up his half-century.
From there on, Rohit attacked Rashid and forced him to concede 7.60 runs per over in his seven-over spell.
The batter finally fell in the 23rd over while trying to pull Mohammad Nabi for a six.
Rohit lowered his head and dragged himself off the field.
You could see that he wanted that hundred. He wanted that big score before heading to England for the next ODI series because, of all people, Rohit knows that he needs those milestones to remain bulletproof in front of the selection committee.
Rohit's dismissal briefly shifted the crowd's attention back to the former India captain before they got hooked on Yashasvi Jaiswal again, who finished the chase with a six in the 29th over.
PRASIDH KRISHNA STAKES HIS CLAIM FOR WORLD CUP
Earlier in the day, India's bowlers had ensured that the chase never became complicated.
Prasidh Krishna produced the best spell of his ODI career, picking up 5 for 23 and tearing through Afghanistan's top order with a relentless opening burst.
Bowling fuller than usual and exploiting the extra bounce available at Chepauk, Prasidh reduced Afghanistan to 36 for four inside the first 10 overs.
Three of those wickets came in almost identical fashion.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah all pushed outside off and edged to Rohit Sharma at first slip, while Darwish Rasooli's attempted counterattack ended in Shreyas Iyer's hands.
Afghanistan were heading towards a collapse before captain Hashmatullah Shahidi slowed things down.
Shahidi batted with remarkable patience for his maiden ODI hundred and stitched together rescue partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi to drag Afghanistan to 218.
Battling cramps late in the innings, the left-hander carried Afghanistan deep before Prasidh returned to dismiss him and complete his maiden ODI five-wicket haul.
India will take the 3-0 scoreline and move on to England with little concern. But Saturday perhaps said something more interesting about where this team stands.
Rohit Sharma looked in control but did not get his hundred. Prasidh Krishna finally put together the kind of spell that Indian cricket has been waiting for from him.
But the loudest statement came from the batter at the other end. Yashasvi Jaiswal got his opportunity and made sure nobody could ignore him.
This was supposed to be Rohit's night. Instead, as Chepauk rose for one of its favourite cricketers, it was Jaiswal who stole the thunder and walked away with the headlines.
