“Because of my wrong call, he had to sacrifice his wicket” - Yashashvi Jaiswal on Jos Buttler’s run-out

Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashashvi Jaiswal admitted that a wrong call from him led to the run-out of senior partner Jos Buttler against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, May 11. Jaiswal added that he wanted to take responsibility and win the game for the team after Buttler’s exit.

RR thrashed KKR by nine wickets in match number 56 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing 150, Rajasthan got home in 13.1 overs as Jaiswal hammered 98* off 47 balls.

In the second over of the chase, the youngster called Buttler for a tight single. The latter was hesitant, but eventually obliged after Jaiswal insisted on the run. A direct hit from Andre Russell found Buttler well short of his crease.

In a post-match press conference, Jaiswal opened up on the run-out and said:

“I learn a lot from Jos bhai. Unfortunately, because of my wrong call, he had to sacrifice his wicket and I respect that a lot. We all know it happens in the game, nobody does it on purpose. I wanted to take responsibility after that run-out.”

The 21-year-old went on to break the record for the fastest IPL fifty, getting to the landmark in 13 balls. Reflecting on the special innings, the left-handed batter admitted:

“I will remember this innings for a long time. It was intense. When I went out to bat, I suddenly realized that things were going really well for me, so I need to keep going. One of the really memorable matches.”

Jaiswal smashed 13 fours and five sixes in his knock, adding 121* runs for the second wicket with skipper Sanju Samson (48* off 29).

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“I wasn’t surprised” - Jaiswal on Nitish Rana bowling the first over

While a lot of fans and critics were surprised to see part-time spinner and KKR captain Nitish Rana bowl the first over, Jaiswal seemed prepared. He clobbered the bowler for two sixes and three four as 26 runs came off the opening over of RR’s chase.

Asked if he was surprised to see Rana bowling the first over, Jaiswal replied:

“No, I wasn’t surprised because I knew that they can use spinners with the new ball on this wicket. But, when I saw Nitish bhai come and bowl, I backed myself to hit my shots from ball one. I looked at the field and calculated my shots.”

On his batting approach, as he neared a hundred, the RR opener stated:

“I had the intent to hit sixes, but it’s okay [missing out on hundred]. My focus was to guide my team to victory. I was trying this for quite some time and I was happy I finished the job today.”

Jaiswal is the second-leading run-getter in IPL 2023, with 575 runs in 12 matches at an average of 52.27 and a strike rate of 167.15.