Centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal credits big knocks to skipper Shreyas Iyer

Teenage opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17, who registered his second ton of the tournament and pacers Shardul Thakur and Dhaval Kulkarni, who took three wickets each, were the chief architects of Mumbai's victory

Defending champions Mumbai thrashed Kerala by eight wickets in an Elite Group 'A' Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Bangalore yesterday. Teenage opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17, who registered his second ton of the tournament and pacers Shardul Thakur and Dhaval Kulkarni, who took three wickets each, were the chief architects of Mumbai's victory.

Batting first, Kerala were bowled out for 199 in 48.4 overs with skipper Robin Uthappa top scoring with a 45-ball 43. Left-arm spinners Dhrumil Matkar (2-21) and Shams Mulani (1-40) and medium pacer Shivam Dube (1-42) were also among the wicket-takers for Mumbai.

In reply, Mumbai openers Jaiswal (122 off 132 balls) and Aditya Tare (67 off 88) paved the way for an easy win.

Jaiswal hit 14 fours and three sixes, while Tare's half-century was laced with five fours and a six. Jaiswal and Tare stitched a 195-run stand for the opening wicket. Jaiswal credited skipper Shreyas Iyer for helping him build a big knock. "When I consumed a lot of dot balls deliveries in the first game against Chhattisgarh [44 off 62], Shreyasbhai told me how to build the innings by taking singles against the spinners. Mumbai coach [Vinayak] Samant sir and [former India Test opener] Wasim sir [Jaffer] have also motivated and encouraged me to play my shots fearlessly," Jaiswal told mid-day from Bangalore yesterday.

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