NEW DELHI: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar was on Saturday full of praise for Yashasvi Jaiswal after his brilliant batting display against Australia, stating that the young opener has the ‘cricketing world at his feet’.
Gavaskar, who was renowned for his own opening skills, noted that Jaiswal brings a refreshing approach to the role, playing with aggression rather than being overly cautious.
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On Day 2, Jaiswal finished unbeaten on 90, forming a solid 172-run partnership with KL Rahul (62 not out).
Together, they frustrated the Australian pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, as well as veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, giving India a commanding 218-run lead.
“This boy’s is special. Looking at where he’s come from, the way he’s been batting and handling fame, it’s not easy sometimes to handle fame,” Gavaskar said after the end of the day’s play.
“Against England, he scored more than 700 runs in five Test matches, two double-hundreds earlier in the year. And he looks so hungry for runs, which is what you want as a batter.
“A lot of us were told, get a hundred. I think he says, I want to get a 150 or 200. He’s hungry for runs, and that’s exactly what Indian cricket needs,” he told Star Sports.
The former India captain noted that Jaiswal’s aggressive batting style, particularly as a left-hander at the top of the order, is a challenge for opposition bowlers. He praised the confidence Jaiswal displayed, particularly against Starc, where his shot selection demonstrated his growing composure and ability to play with freedom.
“A left-hander who at the top of the order can create problems for the bowlers, whether they’re Australian, English, whatever, because he brings a completely different perspective,” said the former captain.
“He likes to play his shots. He’s not one of those really ultra-watchful batters. He’ll play his shots. Some of the shots that he played off Mitchell Starc tell you the confidence that he has. So clearly, I think, Yashasvi Jaiswal, has the cricketing world at his feet.”
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden lauded Jaiswal for his “absolute calmness under pressure”.
“It was certainly chalk and cheese. The first innings the way Jaiswal slashed away outside off stump, and that was the dismissal that caused his peril. But when you think of the second innings, you think of just absolute calmness under pressure.
“Character was shown in the second innings because he had such good composure. He allowed himself time at the crease. He had the balance and peace of mind to be able to get a good stride into the ball, and then he also allowed himself to bat time with his partner.”
Gavaskar also praised KL Rahul for easing pressure on Jaiswal with his solid batting.
“When you have a partner at the other end who’s looking so secure, like Rahul is doing, then the other partner who’s got more strokes, who’s a little more adventurous in playing shots, and that’s what happened, so Jaiswal has actually flowered in his company.
“You can say that because he’s seen the solidity of Rahul. Rahul hasn’t missed out on his scoring opportunities. When the ball’s been pitched up, he’s driven it gloriously through the covers.
“There is this straight drive that he played off Pat Cummins as well. Brilliant. It’s been a very, very good innings. It’s been what you would call a proper five-day Test match innings,” said Gavaskar.