International Test cricket debut century: Yashasvi Jaiswal and the art of changing gears

Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is the latest sensation in Indian cricket with a promising future. The 21-year-old joined the elite list of legendary cricketers — comprising the likes of Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma — after scoring a hundred on his Test debut against the West Indies in Dominica on Thursday.

He became the 17th Indian batter to score a hundred on debut and the first to achieve the feat outside Asia after 22 years. Sehwag had registered a fluent 105 against South Africa in Bloemfontein in November 2001.

Keeping the records aside, the highlight of Jaiswal's knock was his patience, mindset and versatility. He had to go through the domestic cricket grind across formats and the Indian Premier League to earn a Test call-up. And that prepared him for the big stage as he drove the Indian innings on a slow wicket with panache. The batter who scored a 13-ball 50 in the IPL took 16 balls to get off the mark in his debut Test. And once he found his zone, he batted for two-and-a-half days to finish at 171 off 387 balls (4x16, 6x1) in 501 minutes.

Jaiswal is used to scoring hundreds for fun. He smashed ten in first-class games, five in List A cricket, including a double century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, plus the IPL century in Rajasthan Royals colours against five-time champion Mumbai Indians.

Change of gear

Former Maharashtra batter, erstwhile national selector and respected coach Surendra Bhave saw Jaiswal from close quarters during a National Cricket Academy Under-19 camp a few years ago. He lauded the youngster for being able to grasp the ethos of different formats. "I think what he has realised and found within himself is the change of gear, which is a mindset thing. In T20s, he knows he has to throw caution to the wind and let his bat flow, which he does well because he is an aggressive player."

"The fact that he is performing in multi-day cricket is because he knows the gears and the shift. He knows where to show patience and hold the game together. His shot selection is immaculate, and that also comes with great form. The shift of mentality is smooth from one gear to another," Bhave told Moneycontrol.com.

Bhave, who was part of the BCCI selection committee that picked the squad for the World Cup in 2011, feels Jaiswal has delved deep into the game. "He has shown talents in all formats and if he has done well exceptionally in T20, and got a hundred on his Test debut, it shows how deeply he thinks about the game. It is not an easy shift," he added.

He praised Jaiswal for not playing one gear in all formats, which many contemporary cricketers do. "If he cracks T20 and Test cricket, then 50 overs will be easy for him. He took his time in this Test against the Windies. He has the art of leaving the ball well. The pull component in his game has come out well. In his early years in the IPL, he was found out once or twice against genuine pace. But he has worked hard on his technique against the short ball. He has most bases covered," said Bhave, who had recommended that Jaiswal should open the innings during a National Cricket Academy Under-19 camp a few years ago.

The learning that began in school

Jaiswal faced hardships while chasing his cricket dreams. He would live in a tent at Mumbai's Azad Maidan and sell pani puri to make ends meet. He would also climb a tree to catch a glimpse of the IPL that would play on the big screen inside the press club adjacent to the maidan. One can imagine his hunger for cricket.

The Rizvi Springfield High School in Bandra, which made champions out of school cricketers such as Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, had a role to play in Jaiswal's cricket education too. His school coach, Raju Pathak, feels the batter will go a long way since he has been toughened by a hard life earlier. "He always liked playing long innings. He would never throw his wicket away. In one school season, he scored 16 centuries. He values his wicket and he will make it better from here," he said.

Pathak revealed how Jaiswal would bat for hours and not get tired or bored during his school cricket days. "He was so hungry to bat that he would cut short lunch time from 45 minutes to 15 minutes, to bat for 30 extra minutes.
"If the reporting time was 8.30 am, he would reach at 8 am to do his drills. He just needed a platform, which he got. When he was in school, he performed in every tournament including the Harris Shield and Giles Shield. He won us a lot of games," said Pathak, adding: "He is a top-order batter but is capable of playing in any situation. If he continues the hard work, he will be the main man of India. A lot of players lose their way after going up in international cricket but I don't see that in him. He is different, and he is dedicated."

One may debate that Jaiswal's daddy hundred came against a toothless bowling attack but the lineup had senior bowlers such as Kemar Roach and Jason Holder. And no matter who the bowlers are, it is never easy to compose a knock of this stature in alien conditions on debut.

The Indian Test side witnessed a few start-stop careers in Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer in the recent past, but Jaiswal will probably be around for a longer period if he can manage the workload. Being a left-hander, he will always have an edge despite the massive talent in the pool.