Trailing 0-1 in the ongoing five-match series, India posted 336/6 by stumps on Day 1 of the ongoing second Test in Vizag, on Friday. The home side’s second-highest individual score was 34, so then how did they cross 300? Well, most of the work was done by young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who remained unbeaten at 179* off 257 balls, packed with 17 fours and five sixes.
It was also Jaiswal’s second Test ton, and he will be looking to get his first double hundred on Day 2. The 22-year-old got a half-century in the first Test, and went a notch higher in the second, showing stunning stroke-play to reach his hundred, getting to the landmark with a six over long-on. Other batters who came and stitched stands with him lost their wickets but Jaiswal carried on.
After his knock, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) cricketer received plenty of praise from former cricketers. Former India opener Aakash Chopra hailed Jaiswal’s performance and went a level higher, stating that he ‘is even above Sir Don Bradman at this point in time’.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “The most fantastic performance came from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s bat. How well the kid batted. Jimmy Anderson was the only pacer and he kept leaving his deliveries. He gave a lot of respect to James Anderson’s bowling.”
More praise for Yashasvi Jaiswal
“When spin came, he hit two fours in the first over. After that, he showed why this player is so special. His conversion rate of fifties into hundreds for players who have 10 or more centuries in first-class cricket, he is even above Sir Don Bradman at this point in time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out Jaiswal’s approach towards England’s James Anderson and said that it ‘was an excellent sign.’ Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said, “It wasn’t like Jimmy Anderson didn’t bowl much, he bowled a lot. I don’t think a single boundary was hit by Jaiswal against him. That is maturity. He realized this is a bowler who’s not going to give him hittable balls.”
“He is an attacking player, very much a modern-day product and an IPL star as well. But a lot of the shots today were not him trying to unsettle the bowler or trying to play Bazball. It was him punishing the loose balls and that was the most impressive thing about Jaiswal. This was not so much counter-attacking but more Jaiswal batting normally and then progressively starting to dominate. And that was an excellent sign,” he added.
Former spinner Pragyan Ojha was left stumped by Jaiswal’s shot selection. Speaking on Colors, he said, “He didn’t get bogged down under pressure. Wickets were falling and he lost his senior partner in the form of Rohit Sharma. His partners also played and built partnerships, but the way he played, you remember only one shot where he lost his patience slightly against the off-spinner.”
“Other than that, the mindset he showed and the flow with which he batted, he played on merit and showed today why he has such good numbers and why he has such a good conversion rate,” he also stated.
The praise also came from the visiting side. Former England skipper Alastair Cook called Jaiswal ‘absolutely outstanding.’ Speaking on BBC, he said, “He’s delivered when his side need it. It was an innings of maturity and skill beyond his 22 years.”
“Yashasvi Jaiswal was absolutely outstanding. The rest of the India team were 158-6 on a pretty good wicket. If you take him out of the side their fragile batting line-up is still there,” he added.
Despite Jaiswal’s stunning form, Rohit Sharma and Co. will still be left disappointed. They could have taken a huge advantage after winning a good toss, but England bowlers kept up the pressure and removed the other batters with ease. Many of the Indian batters got starts, but failed to capitalise.
From England’s bowling department, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed scalped two wickets each, Tom Hartley and James Anderson bagged a dismissal each respectively.
