Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal stole the headlines by breaking the record for the fastest ever IPL fifty yesterday (May 11), but his astonishing feat wouldn’t have been possible without an admirable piece of self-sacrifice from Jos Buttler.

Jaiswal has been in stunning form in IPL 2023 so far, notching the highest score by an uncapped Indian batter in the competition’s history and averaging more than 50 with a strike rate above 160. He currently sits one run behind Faf du Plessis in the race for the Orange Cap this season.

Against Kolkata Knight Riders, chasing a meagre total, he provided his most brutal assault yet. Twenty-six runs flowed from the first over – an IPL record – and there was little let-up, Jaiswal piercing the infield with abandon as he raced to a 13-ball half-century, the fastest in the history of the IPL. He beat the mark set by KL Rahul in 2014 and equalled by Pat Cummins in 2022 by one ball.

He carried on to finish unbeaten on 98 as a nine-wicket win was sealed with 6.5 overs to spare.

However, his feat would not have been possible without that one wicket lost, with Jos Buttler opting to sacrifice his own wicket to ensure Jaiswal could stay at the crease. Halfway through the second over of the game, Buttler dropped the ball into the off-side, but immediately held up his hand and shouted ‘no’ at Jaiswal.

The youngster, eager to regain the strike, did not heed his partner’s call, and kept running in an attempt at a single. Buttler looked up to see Jaiswal charging towards him, but instead of regaining his ground and preserving his own wicket, opted instead to set off in a near-hopeless pursuit. Andre Russell had plenty of time to gather the ball and fire a direct hit at the stumps, catching Buttler well short – but ensuring Jaiswal remained at the crease. Buttler wasn’t best pleased with his partner, looking back and shaking his head as he walked off, but it was still a move that earned praise.

Given the relative stature of the pair, it was a noteworthy move from Buttler. The Englishman is hailed as one of the greatest batters in limited-overs history, while Jaiswal is yet to play for India. The decision was taken as a mark of Buttler’s game sense and humility in realising Jaiswal was the danger man on the evening, and as a signal of Jaiswal’s growing calibre as an IPL batter. The crowd, and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, appreciated the move. “You can sense how the atmosphere is when a legend like Jos Buttler throws his wicket away for Jaiswal,” Samson said.

Watch the Jos Buttler self-sacrifice run out below:

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