After getting ignored by BCCI selectors for a place in India’s T20I team for the ongoing five-match series against South Africa, young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made himself available for Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches. The 23-year-old left-handed batter is part of Mumbai’s playing XI for the ongoing Super League Group B match against Hyderabad, but in the fixture taking place at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, he failed to do much with the bat.
Jaiswal opened the innings for the Shardul Thakur-led side but got out after scoring 29 runs from 20 balls with the help of six fours. He was sent back to the pavilion by Nitin Sai Yadav. On the last ball of the sixth over of Mumbai’s innings, Jaiswal was trapped
in front of the wickets by Yadav and was given out.
The member of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team challenged the on-field umpire’s decision by taking DRS, but the third umpire also adjudged him out.
Mumbai had high expectations from Jaiswal, who recently became the sixth player to score a century in all three formats of the game for the Indian team, but he failed to live up to the billing.
Jaiswal was included in Mumbai’s playing XI as an opener in place of 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre. Mhatre, who scored a couple of centuries for Mumbai in the group stage matches, is not available for the Super League matches. He has travelled to Dubai with the India U19 team to take part in the U19 Asia Cup, which features eight teams.
Rahane also disappoints
Senior India batter and former Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane played a knock of unbeaten 95 runs in the last group match for Mumbai, but on Friday, he also could only manage to score 9 runs from nine balls. The Kolkata Knight Riders captain was the first Mumbai batter to get out on Friday, and after his dismissal, Sarfaraz Khan also returned back to the pavilion within no time.
Sarfaraz, who has scored one century in the ongoing tournament for Mumbai, made 5 runs from four balls. Sarfaraz had a great chance to attract the franchise’s attention on Friday by playing an impactful knock, but he wasn’t able to deliver.
