Yashasvi Jaiswal, the opening batsman for India in the current five-match Test series against England, revealed the secret to his second consecutive century. After losing his wicket for 80 during the first Test match in Hyderabad, the left-handed batsman stated that he is attempting to score big whenever he gets set, as advised by his seniors.
Jaiswal contributed 209 runs from 290 deliveries in the first innings of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which enabled India to score 396. In the end, they triumphed by 106 runs in the game. After getting retired on Day 3 with a score of 104 because of a back spasm, the young player batted twice. On Day 4, he came back into the game following Shubman Gill’s wicket.
In the third Test match in Rajkot, Jaiswal amassed an undefeated 214 off 236 balls with the help of 12 sixes and 14 boundaries in the second innings. In the second inning, his innings helped India declare at 430/4, setting a massive 557-run target for the visitors. The hosts went on to win by 434 runs, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
“Trying to make it big whenever I’m set” – Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal noted after making a double-century in the third Test that it was difficult to play aggressive shots early in his knock, but that scoring got easier as the innings went on. During the post-match presentation, Jaiswal stated:
“I’m just trying to make it big whenever I’m set. In Test cricket you never know, I try to make sure I play as long as I can when I’m set. It was pretty difficult, initially, I was not getting runs so, I had to play the session and play the bowler. Then when I got set, I could score the runs.”
“I had my plans about where I could play my shots and get runs. After some time, my back was not good. I didn’t want to go out, but I had to go out because it was too much. When I came back, I tried to give myself time and take it as deep as I can. I knew that if I was there, I would take the game forward and be there till the end,” said Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“The way they put effort motivated all of us”- Yashasvi Jaiswal on Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja’s innings
Yashasvi Jaiswal said that after getting out cheaply (10 off 10) in the first inning, he wanted to make sure India got off to a strong start. He stated that he was motivated to perform well in the second inning by witnessing Indian skipper Rohit Sharma (131 off 196) and Ravindra Jadeja (112 off 225) build a 204-run partnership and play session by session.
“I knew it was important for me to give the team a very good start, as we have seen it has a huge impact on the team. I feel like whenever I am set I need to make it big. As all my seniors have said, when you are set, make it big and make it count,” he said.
“The way Rohit (Sharma) bhai and Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai played in the first innings really inspired me. The way they played session by session was incredible, the way they put effort motivated all of us,” he added.
At an astounding average of 109, Yashasvi Jaiswal has amassed 545 runs in six innings, making him the series’ top run scorer. On February 23, the young player will take the field in the fourth Test at Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium against the visiting team.