Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 13 (ANI): Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal decoded his approach on a 'two-paced' surface where he 'enjoyed' playing against a clinical Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling unit in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on an action-packed Sunday.

After being put to bat, Rajasthan got off to a dwindling start and needed individual brilliance to fight its way to a competitive total. When the Royals needed a partnership, Jaiswal raised a 60-run stand for the second wicket with Riyan Parag under Jaipur's scorching heat.

He pulled out various renditions of sweep shots to nullify the spin threat and effortlessly target the boundary rope. When the ball kept low, Jaiswal stayed vigilant to preserve his wicket. It wasn't a typical Jaiswal knock from the vault; he struggled to time the ball to perfection and find fluency. Jaiswal brought up 75 from 47 deliveries to steer Rajasthan to 173//4.

Throughout his stay on the crease, Jaiswal constantly assessed the conditions while working towards building partnerships. Even though Rajasthan's strip wasn't a batting paradise, considering its two-faced nature, the young southpaw enjoyed his time on the crease.

'It was good. I was trying to assess the conditions. I was trying to build a partnership so that we could score at least 170. I was trying to give the base to the other batsmen and was trying to get a good start for my team. I enjoyed it there. It's a pretty good score for us; the wicket is a little bit two-paced,' Jaiswal said during the mid-innings show.

Jaiswal's swashbuckling exploits ended at the hands of Josh Hazlewood in the 16th over. With power-hitting turning out to be the need of the hour, Jaiswal pulled out another sweep from his arsenal on a full-length delivery. He completely missed his shot and got pinned straight in front of the stumps.

After Jaiswal's dismissal, Dhruv Jurel came in to add the much-needed finishing touches with his composed 35 from 23 deliveries to propel Rajasthan to a fighting total. However, Phil Salt's early onslaught and a chase masterclass from Virat Kohli lifted the Royal Challengers to an emphatic 9-wicket triumph. (ANI)