Yashasvi Jaiswal led a strong India response in the second innings against England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval. Yashasvi Jaiswal came out to bat on Day 3 with an aggressive approach, having smashed a quickfire half-century on Day 2. It was Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 12th half-century in Test cricket and his third of the ongoing tour, which took him past India great Sachin Tendulkar in an elite list. Yashasvi Jaiswal now has the most fifty plus scores by an Indian against England at the age of 23.
The last couple of weeks were challenging for Yashasvi Jaiswal. After starting the series on a high — he hit a century and an 87 in the first two Tests — Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled in the next six innings, scoring just 101 runs.However, the young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal struck form at The Oval on Saturday as his century put India in command in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
It was Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sixth ton in Test cricket, and he enjoyed batting on a ‘spicy’ surface, and as he made the most of the reprieves and marched on, the southpaw also received a message from erstwhile India captain Rohit Sharma, who was in attendance on the third day.
Yashasvi Jaiswal started the day by stitching a massive partnership with Akash Deep as the duo frustrated England in the first session. They added 107 runs for the fourth wicket off 150 balls to suck the life out of a depleted England attack sans Chris Woakes. Akash scored his maiden Test half century, coming in to bat as a nightwatchman. He played a brilliant innings of 66 (94) with the help of 12 boundaries.
He further got involved in crucial stands with Karun Nair and Ravindra Jadeja of 40 and 44 runs respectively to help extend India’s lead to 250. Meanwhile, England finished Day 3 on 50/1, needing another 324 runs to win the match after Mohammed Siraj struck on the stroke of stumps to dismiss Zak Crawley.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been a solid opening pair for India in Test cricket, sharing a strong camaraderie both on and off the field. Rohit, known for his affection towards younger players, is fondly called bhaiya by them and Jaiswal is no exception. Even after his retirement, Rohit made his presence felt at the Oval on Day 3. When Yashasvi Jaiswal spotted his senior in the stands, it gave him a visible boost, further fueling his inspired innings.
Team India asserted their dominance on Day 3 of the Oval Test, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the charge. Resuming unbeaten on 51 from the previous day, Jaiswal continued his aggressive form and brought up a brilliant century, strengthening India’s hold on the match and setting them up for a potential victory on Day 4. He capped off the series the same way he had begun, with a century marking his sixth Test hundred and second of the series.
While Yashasvi Jaiswal was at the crease, cameras captured Rohit Sharma, one of India’s greatest cricketing figures watching from the stands. The former Test captain had a message of encouragement for Jaiswal, which the young batter shared during the post-day press conference.
Yashasvi Jaiswal spills beans on the advice given by Rohit Sharma after his blistering 118 on Day 3 at Oval
Star India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal revealed Rohit Sharma’s secret message during his marvellous innings on Day 3 of the fifth Test against England at the Oval. Jaiswal scored his sixth Test century as he played a scintillating innings of 118 (164) with the help of 14 fours and two sixes.
Courtesy of his knock, India managed to extend their second innings lead to 373 and set England a target of 374 runs to win the Test. After the end of the day’s play, Jaiswal revealed that he met India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma, who motivated him to keep going.
“Absolutely, the wicket felt a bit difficult, especially where there was some ball movement and seam movement. And about Rohit Bhai—of course, I saw him and he gave me this message: just keep playing. That’s what it was,” said Jaiswal in the press conference at the end of the day’s play.
Furthermore, Jaiswal also shared his game plan to score runs on the difficult pitch and revealed that he came out to bat with a positive approach to put pressure on the bowlers.
“Since this was our last innings here, I kept trying and was mentally ready. I needed to keep pushing in this game and try to get as many runs as I could. After seeing the wicket in the first innings, I thought about the best way to approach it. I focused on playing positively with the intent to put pressure on the bowlers—figuring out where they would bowl and where I could score runs,” he added.
At 23, Jaiswal has played with India’s batting mainstays, including Rohit, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, captain Shubman Gill and others. The presence of the batting stalwarts has assisted him in transforming not only his game but also in growing as a person.
“I think that’s how you need to plan your game. I need to plan my game, my innings, where my shots are and where I’m going to score runs. So, of course, I keep getting all these messages and playing with the seniors as long as I have played with Rohit Bhai, Virat Bhai. So, playing with them as well helped me a lot grow as a person and seeing them, what they have done in Test cricket, how they have prepared themselves,” he said.
“So, I think it really helped me, especially to improve as a player and especially playing with all my mates now, KL (Rahul) Bhai, the way we chat and what we think about the game, how we think about the game, Gill Bhai everyone is just, it’s very interesting and it’s like I’m really enjoying it,” he added.
Reflecting on his experiences, Jaiswal said:
“It’s all about how I fight. Always, the mentality is to go out there and fight it out and enjoy.”
He added,
“Because in the end, as I tell myself that it’s the game and we need to enjoy the game. That is very important. With that, we should have fun.”
Expressing his pride, he said,
“I am proud of myself and all my teammates. We want fun. We want some battle in the middle. That is the fun. That’s why you play Test cricket.
Yashasvi Jaiswal walloped a century in 127 deliveries by pushing the ball for a single off Gus Atkinson. He punched the air in jubilation, blew kisses towards the stands, as his parents, along with the crowd, cheered and applauded his sheer brilliance. His exploits concluded while trying to execute the upper cut off Josh Tongue, a shot he has deployed on several occasions throughout his stay in the second innings. He timed his shot but failed to get the desired placement.
While possibly trying to target the deep square, he found Jamie Overton at the third man and returned with a valiant 118(164). Yashasvi Jaiswal’s second ton of the series laid the foundation for India to muscle its way to a daunting 396.
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