Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal expressed his relief after scoring his maiden ODI century, which helped India secure a nine-wicket victory against South Africa in the third and final ODI. This win in Visakhapatnam on Saturday clinched the series 2-1 for India.
Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 116 off 121 balls, featuring 12 fours and two sixes. He was supported by Rohit Sharma, who contributed 75 runs from 73 balls with seven fours and three sixes, and Virat Kohli, who remained not out at 65 from 45 balls, including six fours and three sixes. India reached 271/1 in 39.5 overs after bowlers Kuldeep Yadav (4-41) and Prasidh Krishna (4-65) restricted South Africa to a modest total of 270.
At 23, Jaiswal became the sixth Indian batter to score hundreds in
all three formats and the youngest to achieve this feat.
Named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, Jaiswal mentioned that conversations with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli boosted his confidence.
“I really enjoyed scoring this 100; I feel grateful and blessed. Rohit and I discussed our playing strategy and the tempo. I had struggled to convert starts previously. My focus was on balancing the innings, knowing when to attack and when to take singles. Controlling my thoughts and selecting appropriate shots were crucial,” Jaiswal said at the post-match presentation.
Reflecting on his experience batting with Kohli, Jaiswal added, “Batting with Virat paaji was different as he played a lot of shots and helped me set targets.”
In the first two ODIs, Jaiswal had scored 18 off 16 balls and 22 off 38 balls, respectively. On Saturday, he paced his innings by scoring his first fifty off 75 balls and accelerating to his second fifty in just 36 balls. He was under pressure in the third match, having dropped a crucial catch in the second ODI.
(With Agency Inputs)
