"He is absolutely ready" - Ishant Sharma on whether Yashasvi Jaiswal is equipped to play Test cricket in England and Australia
Ishant Sharma believes Yashasvi Jaiswal is well equipped to open for India in foreign conditions like England and Australia.
Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 143 off 350 deliveries in India's first innings of the first Test against the West Indies. Rohit Sharma and Co. ended Day 2 in Roseau on Thursday (July 13) at 312/2, with a first-innings lead of 162 runs and the youngster alongside Virat Kohli at the crease.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Ishant was asked whether Yashasvi Jaiswal is ready to play Test cricket in England and Australia, to which he responded:
"According to me, he is absolutely ready because if you see this innings as well, all the boundaries he hit, especially against the new ball, they all came with cut or pull shots."
The Indian pacer praised the left-handed opener for not playing the cover drive against the new ball:
"It is a great sign for an opening batter when he refrains from playing a cover drive to a full delivery. If you play the cover drive, there is a chance of you getting caught behind or in the slips."
Ishant added that Jaiswal played straight against pitched-up deliveries:
"He looked to score runs only with cuts and pulls against the new ball, which is every batter's strength. Whenever the ball was pitched up, apart from an odd loose shot, he either defended it or played with the full face of the bat. This becomes very important for an opener."
Jaiswal has struck only 14 boundaries during his 350-ball vigil. He was slightly aggressive on Day 1 but became more circumspect on the second morning before increasing the scoring rate a little as the day progressed.
"His temperament differentiates him" - Pragyan Ojha on Yashasvi Jaiswal
![Yashasvi Jaiswal rarely played unconventional shots during his innings. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/07/0058b-16893167728299-1920.jpg?w=500)
While praising Yashasvi Jaiswal's temperament, Pragyan Ojha pointed out that the Mumbai batter has the attributes to succeed in England and Australia, explaining:
"Ishant spoke about the talent but the biggest thing I felt was the temperament. His temperament differentiates him. We talk about the conversion rate. The biggest challenge in England will be how you play lateral movement. He has the technique for that. If we talk about Australia, he is also negating the bounce well. So he has these two things."
While the surface in Dominica did not offer much lateral movement for the bowlers, Jaiswal generally looked comfortable against the short ball. However, his real test would be on quicker and bouncier pitches, which is he likely to encounter in India's next away series against South Africa later this year.