Would like to thank support staff, Hardik for showing faith in me: Jaiswal

LAUDERHILL: Following his side's nine-wicket win over West Indies in the fourth T20I, Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal thanked the support staff and skipper Hardik Pandya for showing faith in him and added that for him, the intent is always to score quick runs for his team, especially in the powerplay. India sealed off a comfortable 9-wicket victory for the visitors to level the five-match T20I series against West Indies on 2-2 at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground on Saturday.

"It is not easy, I am happy to go out there and express myself. I would like to thank the support staff and Hardik bhai, they have shown faith. That shows so much impact on my mind. I try to play how the team needs and how I can express myself towards the plan. I try to score quickly, how many shots I can play in the powerplay and put my team in a nice shape. Reading the wicket, reading the situation, how I can take the game deep everything is important. My intent is always to score runs," said Jaiswal in a post-match presentation. "I have played a lot of balls against them (Jason Holder and Obed McCoy in the IPL), helped me to read them. It (partnership with Shubman Gill) was really amazing the way we were talking and the way we were taking singles and understanding each other. He batted really well. The way he was rotating the strike, it is really important to build the partnership. I want to thank everyone for coming here and supporting us in this heat. Thank you so much," he added.

India has levelled the series 2-2 with this win, with one more game to go, which will be played on Sunday. Electing to bat first, West Indies was reduced to 57/4 in 6.5 overs by the duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.

Shai Hope (45 in 29 balls with three fours and two sixes) and Shimron Hetmyer helped WI cross the 100-run mark. Hetmyer finally clicked on the white-ball tour, scoring 61 in 39 balls, consisting of three fours and four sixes. He and Odean Smith (15* in 12 balls) helped WI reach a total of 178/8 in 20 overs. Arshdeep (3/38) and Kuldeep (2/26) were the best bowlers for India, offering a cocktail of spin and pace that had WI in trouble in the initial stages. Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mukesh Kumar had a wicket each.

Chasing 179, India got the start they were just looking for. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill took full advantage of the flat, batting-friendly nature of the surface and piled up runs, taking the team to the brink of a win single-handedly. The 165-run opening stand between the duo ended with Gill dismissed by Romario Shepherd for 77 off 47 balls, consisting of three fours and five sixes. Jaiswal (84* in 51 balls with 11 fours and three sixes) and Tilak Varma (7*) helped India chase the total with three overs to spare.

Jaiswal earned the 'Player of the Match' award for his performance.