I wanted to stay in the middle for as long as possible: Yashasvi Jaiswal

The young and talented opener Yashasvi Jaiswal created history this past week as he became the 9th Mumbai batsman to rack up a hundred in each innings of a Ranji Trophy fixture.

Jaiswal achieved the feat in the all-important semi-final against Uttar Pradesh. The southpaw scored a patient 227-ball 100 in the first innings to help Mumbai post 393.

He backed it up with an equally gritty 372-ball 181 to help his side qualify for their 47th Ranji final.

Patience was one of the hallmarks of Jaiswal's knock in the second innings. The left-hander took as many as 54 deliveries to get going, although his partner Prithvi Shaw went hammer and tongs at the other end.

Speaking to the media following his heroic effort, Jaiswal revealed that after studying the wicket, he had made up his mind that he needed to spend a lot of time in the middle as the surface was slow.

"Facing 54 balls and not scoring a single run wasn't important for me. For me, the important thing was to stay there, stick to the plan and not lose my wicket. That's what I discussed with Armaan (Jaffer), and we both stuck to the plan,"

"I studied the wicket and realised that it was slow. When Prithvi got out, I discussed the plan with Armaan Jaffer. I wanted to give myself time at the crease because I wanted to stay in the middle for as long as possible. This was my plan. I know it took me a lot of balls to get off the mark, but once I was settled, I started accelerating," said Jaiswal, as quoted by India Today.

Jaiswal has joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma on the elite list of Mumbai cricketers who have scored two hundred in a single Ranji Trophy game.

However, he was unaware of the record until he was informed by his teammates.

"I wasn't aware of this record. When I returned to the dressing room, my teammates told me about this. I am honoured to see my name with legends like Sachin sir, Wasim sir, Rohit and Ajinkya," said Jaiswal.

Jaiswal has also revealed that he got a congratulatory message from his Rajasthan Royals teammate Daryl Michell for his magnificent effort.

"I got a congratulatory message from Daryl Mitchell after my centuries in both innings. He said, "you'll do well. Keep going. Don't stop," he recalled.

Jaiswal has now scored three consecutive hundreds in the ongoing Ranji knockouts, and he will look to continue his form when the 41-time champions take on MP in the finale on the 22nd of June.