Yashasvi Jaiswal is only 23 years old but even the most seasoned batters may be outclassed by the maturity he carries as India's Test opener. And it's comforting for Indian supporters to know he understands that. His maturity reflected in the ongoing Test against England in Leeds, where he was heard asking his captain Shubman Gill to communicate loudly while running between wickets.
After scoring a boundary off the opening ball of the 38th over from Chris Woakes, Jaiswal attempted to steal a quick single off the following delivery. The run was not on and Gill was loud enough to decline. After realising his error in judgement, Jaiswal quickly communicated his captain to continue refusing him because he frequently takes unwarranted risks.
"Mujhko bolte rehna (Please keep telling me ‘no’ for risky singles) Meri adaat hai, josh mein aane ki (I have a habit of getting over excited)," he could be heard telling Gill in between deliveries. At that time, the Indian opener was batting at 57.
Two more boundaries were hit by Jaiswal in the final four balls of the same over. Prior to England's brief comeback at Lunch, thanks to two fast wickets of opener KL Rahul (42) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (0), his combination with Gill was gradually but surely restoring India to their pre-morning session strength.
At that point, with Gill scoring nearly at run-a-ball and Jaiswal keeping up a steady pace while hitting the loose deliveries to the fence, India could hardly afford a run-out.
Ben Stokes' decision to bowl first may have appeared bold at the time, but it was soon questioned after the Indian openers, led by the confident Yashasvi Jaiswal, took advantage of a batting-friendly surface to establish a solid foundation.
In his first significant innings of the tour, Jaiswal showed maturity and technical clarity after a shaky performance in the pre-tour games against India A, to become the seventh Indian opener to register a hundred in England and Australia. The southpaw joins an exclusive group of Indian opening batsmen that also includes Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Virender Sehwag, M Vijay and KL Rahul.
Jaiswal was clean bowled by England captain Ben Stokes for 101 – a knock that was studded with 16 fours and a six.
In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth last year, the left-hander had struck a century and had also scored a hundred in West Indies in his first Test.
