CLASS ACT, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Big batters score runs when it matters. There is no point in scoring runs for self-gratification or putting self above the team. Watching dashing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal perform during the course of five Tests in England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, it is clear this 23-year-old lad has not just arrived. He is here to stay. As Team India took the fight into the English camp with relish at The Oval over the last three days, Jaiswal has shone like the proverbial knight in shining armour. There is a whole world of difference in this English bowling attack, when compared in two innings.
Likewise, Jaiswal has never looked uncomfortable in the ongoing series, which is poised tantalisingly for a certain result in the fifth Test. Words will fail even a poet if he or she is to describe the effort put in by the talented opener as he scored 118 runs. It is hard to ‘rate’ Test tons of batters. But if a dipstick test has to be done to assess how Yashasvi Jaiswal has fared, this knock has been worth its weight in gold. The wicket on the first two days at The Oval offered enough juice for the fast bowlers. So for Jaiswal to stamp his authority and script a ton makes him stands out for many reasons in the second essay.
Openers, by nature, have to deliver under pressure, whatever be the format. As a Young Turk, Jasiwal is full or promise. Yet, what catches the eye is bridging the gap between potential and performance, where he mastered the conditions and made the English attack look ragged. He challenged the bowlers, first, then took them on with aplomb as he executed 14 boundaries and two sixes. Indeed, the maturing of Jaiswal in this series has been pronounced, where his partner KL Rahul has also delivered with great relish. There is nothing like two solid openers firing at the top, whatever be the format. Flip through the annals of cricket, be it Tests, ODIs, T20, or even the Indian Premier League, which has become the most-valued club tournament in the world, openers play a role as saviour.
Jaiswal has been a blessing and the hero in the fifth Test. His batting template is modern. When you compare how someone like Sunny Gavaskar crafted his innings in Tests, with one of the classics coming at The Oval many summers ago, that was different. For this generation of cricket fans who lap up every bit of info on TV, apps and data driven analysis, cricket is not just about numbers. Yes, runs scored and wickets taken are very important. If you were fortunate to have heard ‘running commentary’ on radio in 1979 when Gavaskar scored 221 at The Oval in the second innings against a potent pace attack which comprised Bob Willis and Ian Botham, that was a master class.
There is no comparing Gavaskar with the modern-day openers. Yet, even someone like Gavaskar or a Ravi Shastri or the more popular Dinesh Karthik and the English commentators have been lavish in praise for the century on show from Jaiswal which peaked on Saturday. The timing of his knock and the way he absorbed the pressure defines him as a batter with class.
Rewind to his background, the story of Yashasvi Jaiswal is worth repeating, a boy born in Uttar Pradesh in a modest background and then finding his way into Mumbai. Well before Jaiswal, many people moved to Bombay hoping to realise their dreams. After all, this city, despite its chaos, is seen as one place where everyone can make both ends meet. And those who survive the chaos do make it big, wherein they do not want to leave the city. For Jaiswal, too, Mumbai is home away from home which he has embraced so gleefully. From birth in Suriyawan, Bhadohi, in Uttar Pradesh to living in tents near the Azad Maidan, Jaiswal at age 10, Jaiswal has seen hard times as a budding cricketer. That he established himself in the Azad Maidan which has produced several stars is important.
There has been no looking back for the bloke, now that he is acknowledged as a rock star who does not fear the opposition. When he played in the West Indies recent years back, Jaiswal was full of flourish and promise. As this series in England nears a close, don’t forget, the same Jaiswal was admonished for dropped catches. To see England’s fielders also drop three catches off Jaiswal during his latest essay, you can be sure, it’s not his fault. Batters getting a reprieve is not the sole reason for going on to score a ton worth its weight in gold.
For those who compare batters in terms of stance and how they stand, Yashasvi Jaiswal as a southpaw has that natural aggression ingrained. To execute all this in England and score two tons in a hard series defines the Rajasthan Royals openers as someone with a great future.
