I was just nearing the end of my morning show on Day 2 at the Oval when the question came. It was a strange one and had caught me off guard. All of a sudden someone asked if Yashasvi Jaiswal should be dropped. And even before I could explain, there were a slew of comments on the same subject. The consensus was he tapers off as a series progresses and it is unfair on Abhimanyu Easwaran that he hasn’t been given an opportunity.
The truth is I have very strong views on this. But then social media is a cesspit at times and you learn to be restrained on occasions. Jaiswal had already got a hundred in the series and also a fifty is what I said and still the trolls wouldn’t stop. That’s when I had thought to myself how good it will be if he plays a defining knock in the second innings. Little did I know that he would actually do that and make a telling impact on the game.
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Yes he was given a few lives and was lucky. But then in sport you make your own luck. Each time he had played a full blooded shot and did not hold back. In fact it was his counter punch on the second evening that handed control of the game to India.
And on Day 3, it was imperative that as the set batter he continued long. India needed a hundred from him and nothing else would suffice. Little did anyone know that Akash Deep would take over the morning and make a massive contribution. In the partnership between Jaiswal and Akashdeep what stood out was the former’s willingness to play second fiddle and let Akash, who walked in the previous evening as nightwatchman, take centre stage. He is a natural aggressor and it has rarely happened that someone had outbatted Jaiswal in red ball cricket. Akash Deep did and Jaiswal at no point did let his ego take over. That’s what stood out for me and that’s what helped India.
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Once Akash Deep and Shubman Gill were out in quick succession, Jaiswal’s job had become even more important. He was the glue that was binding the Indian innings together and another wicket then would mean England full steam back in the hunt. Even after he had reached the 100, the job wasn’t over. India needed a big enough ton to be safe and yet again it was evident that Jaiswal was fully focussed on the job at hand. The hundred meant the world to him, the celebrations were proof, but then to be able to concentrate as well in the aftermath was an equally significant contribution.
I hope no one will now call for Jaiswal to be dropped. A second innings hundred in a series decider is as good as it can get and it has to be said that Jaiswal has ended the series on a high, much like the way he started it in Leeds.
The best part of the innings was his ability to concentrate for long periods. Yes he played and missed a few at times, but then everyone will on this wicket. To be able to refocus in the very next ball is the key. To forget what happened and take guard again. And each time you get a lifeline, to make it count. Jaiswal did all of it and that’s why this will rank as one of his finest hundreds, one that could well end up giving India the result they are after.
Much like Australia, Jaiswal will be a better player after England. And when you note that he has scored three hundreds in the last 8 months in testing conditions against the new ball in England and Australia, you know that all this talk of him being left out is plain rubbish. That’s why people who say it are trolls and should never be taken seriously. It is essential we celebrate Jaiswal for this effort for it could well be key to the series ending 2-2 at the Oval.
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