Former England captain Michael Atherton feels that Yashasvi Jaiswal is a modern T20I player who is adapting very well to Test cricket and believes the youngster has the ability as well as technique to do that. Atherton also claimed that Ben Stokes and co. will have to figure out a way to stop Jaiswal from further scoring double-centuries for fun if they are to come back in the series.
Yesterday’s knock at the Niranjan Shah stadium in Rajkot where India claimed a 434-run victory over the English contingent, was perhaps the best we have seen from Yashasvi Jaiswal in his career until now. His double hundred yesterday was the 2nd time he did so in this series and it was also his 3rd 150+ score in Test cricket since making his debut in July 2023 during a 2-match series in the Caribbean.
Jaiswal had announced himself on the world stage with an emphatic 171 on his debut inning before 57 in the 2nd Test. The only time he could not score runs was in South Africa last month where he had scores of 17, 5, 0, and 28 across the two Tests in Centurion and Cape Town. To some extent, it was forgiven because the conditions were just too tough to bat and it was also his first instance of playing in those conditions that too against a formidable side like that.
But in the ongoing 5-match Test series against England, which is also his home debut red-ball series, Yashasvi Jaiswal has gone to a different level. He showed glimpses of that in Hyderabad, scoring a total of 95 across innings at Hyderabad where India lost by 28 runs.
However, in the 2nd Test, the 22-year-old smacked a wonderful 209 at Vishakhapatnam and then yesterday he scored another in Rajkot. On both occasions, India but Jaiswal won hearts and England’s 41-year-old seamer James Anderson is among those who are already in love with his style after getting smacked 3 sixes in a row yesterday.
“Fantastic young player. Haven’t seen much of him in Test match cricket. England fans didn’t see much of him before the series but now they have seen enough to know that he’s a special young talent. Very hungry for runs. He smacks the ball a long way, a powerfully built lad. He’s a modern T20 player who’s adapting to Test cricket and has the technique.” – Anderson said via Sky Sports.
“When he gets in, he has all the shots”, Atherton on Yashasvi Jaiswal giving Jimmy Anderson a headache
Michael Atherton claimed that he has rarely seen James Anderson being treated like that after Yashasvi Jaiswal smashes back-to-back 3 sixes off Anderson’s over. To put it on record, Jaiswal is just the 2nd player since George Bailey in 2013 Ashes to hit 3 biggies off the Englishman’s over.
“When he gets in, he has all the shot. Jimmy Anderson is rarely treated with such disdain like he was this afternoon when he got taken for those three consecutive sixes. So he’s a very dangerous player and England need to work out a way to get him early if they can”. – Atherton told Sky Sports cricket.