Who Is Vishal Jayswal? Gujarat Star Who Stunned Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant-Led Delhi In Vijay Hazare Trophy

Spinner Vishal Jayswal's four-wicket haul went in vain as Gujarat suffered a narrow loss at the hands of Delhi in their Vijay Hazare Trophy clash in Jaipur. Chasing a target of 255, Gujarat were bowled out for 247 as the Delhi bowlers fought back following a strong start from the openers. Despite the defeat, Jayswal caught the eye of the cricketing world by scalping the wickets of Delhi veterans Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Nitish Rana-all of whom have experience leading teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

This was only Jayswal's 13th List A match, having made his debut for Gujarat against Assam in November 2023. Prior to this contest, he had scalped only five wickets in the 50-over format. The 27-year-old has also represented Gujarat in 11 First-Class and 16 T20 matches, taking 40 and 15 wickets, respectively.

On Friday, Jayswal dismissed Arpit Rana and Nitish Rana in quick succession, reducing Delhi to 98/3 at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. He also claimed the wickets of Kohli and Pant later on, but not before the national team stars led Delhi's charge with fighting half-centuries.

Kohli (77 off 61 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and skipper Pant (70 off 79 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) played entertaining knocks as Delhi posted 254/9 in 50 overs. In reply, Gujarat were cruising at 67/0 following a steady partnership between Urvil Patel and Aarya Desai.

However, a top-order collapse saw Gujarat reduced to 144/5 in the 35th over. Saurav Chauhan and Jayswal brought Gujarat back into the contest, adding 69 runs for the sixth wicket, before the Delhi pacers-led by Prince and veteran speedster Ishant Sharma-struck at regular intervals to secure a narrow eight-run win. Kohli had the last laugh, being named 'Player of the Match' for his 61-ball 77.

Topics mentioned in this article

Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant DEL Gujarat Cricket