"He got full marks for whatever questions were asked of him" - Zaheer Khan lauds Yashasvi Jaiswal's knock on Day 1 of 1st IND vs ENG Test
Zaheer Khan has lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal for his impeccable footwork during his enterprising knock on Day 1 of the first Test between India and England.
India bundled England out for 246 after Ben Stokes opted to bat first in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. The hosts ended the day on 119/1, with Jaiswal unbeaten on a 70-ball 76.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Zaheer was asked about Jaiswal's precise footwork against the spinners. He responded:
"That's why he needs to be praised more. He got full marks for whatever questions were asked of him. If someone is a good front-foot player, the bowler tries to make him play more off the back foot."
The former India pacer added that the youngster's ability to play shots off both the front and back foot put pressure on the bowlers. He said:
"If someone does not use his feet, you try to bowl a little slower as a spinner and force him to use his feet. If you have all those attributes, you can put pressure on any bowler. We got to see some amazing shots off both the front and back foot. The positive mindset was evident from the first ball."
Jaiswal struck nine fours and three sixes during his unbeaten knock. He was particularly harsh on debutant Tom Hartley, who went wicketless and conceded 63 runs in nine overs.
"The England bowlers couldn't settle because of the way Yashasvi Jaiswal started" - Owais Shah
![Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma strung together an 80-run opening partnership in just 12.2 overs. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/c93ab-17061874890309-1920.jpg?w=500)
Owais Shah was asked about the Indian openers, and especially Yashasvi Jaiswal, exhibiting the Bazball approach. He replied:
"Yes, absolutely. India gave a very good example of it, the way Jaiswal started. As soon as he came to the middle, he announced himself with a six and then could play all his shots. The England bowlers couldn't settle because of the way Yashasvi Jaiswal started."
The former England batter added that the left-handed opener made the most of it whenever the visiting bowlers erred in length. He elaborated:
"Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned in his interview that you need to bowl with consistency on this wicket, but England didn't do that and that's why they got hit. As soon as they bowled the ball slightly short, the form Jaiswal is in, he rocked back and hit two or three pulls and because of that a lot of pressure was created."
Jaiswal hit two sixes in the second over of India's innings, including one off the first ball of Tom Hartley's Test career. He was aggressive against all three England spinners, with his third maximum coming off Rehan Ahmed's bowling.