On the eve of the first T20I in Mohali, head coach Rahul Dravid has made it sure that Yashasvi Jaiswal is the first choice opener with captain Rohit Sharma. Unfortunately, the southpaw missed the opening match due to groin injury, but in Indore, he proved the words of his coach right and it was his strokeful 68 off 34 balls at the top of the order and Shivam Dube’s 63 not out off 32 balls helped India register a six-wicket series-clinching win as the hosts easily chased down the target of 173 with 26 balls to spare.

“Kaafi maza aaya batting karne mey, Wicket bhi kaafi acha tha (I enjoyed my batting, wicket was also very good). We had really good target to chase, in my mind I wanted to give a good start,” Jaiswal told the BCCI.tv.

The southpaw also revealed the advice of captain Rohit Sharma, before taking the strike.

“Wo kehte hain tu jaa aur bindaas khel (Just go and play your shots freely). He’s always there to look after us. It’s always incredible if you have a senior like him,” he said.

Explosive batting display with @imVkohli ????That sprint & run-out ????Conversations with Captain @ImRo45 ????

In conversation with fifty-up @ybj_19 ???????? – By @ameyatilak

WATCH ???????? #TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/qJgrKwarFA

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 15, 2024

On Fazalhaq Farooqui’s run out, Jaiswal said: “I was a little confused. Maarun ke naa maarun… And then I decided I should sprint and dislodge the wickets,” he said.

Jaiswal put on a quick 57-run stand with Virat Kohli and talking about that partnership, the southpaw said: “It’s always a pleasure to bat along with Virat Bhaiyya. It’s an honour to play with him. We had the conversations like what shot we can play on this wicket or which areas we can hit.”

“Abhi mujhe aur mehnat karni hai ur acha karna hai (I still need to work hard and want to do well), he said.

India will play the third match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.