"He instilled fear in the minds of the opposition"- RP Singh on difference between Virender Sehwag and Yashasvi Jaiswal's batting styles
Former Indian pacer RP Singh reckons there are a lot of differences between the batting styles of young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and legendary opener Virender Sehwag.
Jaiswal's counter-attacking style of batting in Tests has drawn comparisons with the way Sehwag used to take on the opposition. The left-hander smashed a six to get to his hundred, something Sehwag was known for.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the end of play on Day 1 of the second India-England Test in Vishakapatnam, RP Singh, though, explained the differences between the approach of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virender Sehwag (7:22):
"Sehwag's brand of cricket wasn't similar to Yashasvi Jaiswal's. Once Sehwag used to decide which bowler he was going to go against, he wouldn't spare the bowler until he caused complete carnage.
"He instilled fear in the minds of the opposition and didn't used to think about whether he was batting on 180 or 190. Jaiswal is more calm and composed and is someone who will look to bat long and bat big."
The former pacer noted the clarity with which Jaiswal batted (5:35):
"There was absolute clarity in Jaiswal's shot selection today. When he wanted to attack, there were no half-measures about it. Sometimes you premeditate a shot and end up losing your wicket.
"But that wasn't the case with Yashasvi Jaiswal, as his clarity in thought process and right shot selection helped him dominate."
Jaiswal ended Day 1 on a career-best 179* as India reached 336-6 at Stumps. The young opener made more than half his side's runs, with the next highest score being Shubhman Gill's 34. Interestingly, every batter in the top-7 got starts, but none except Jaiswal, went on to make a big score.
Yashasvi Jaiswal got crucial partnerships consistently: RP Singh
RP Singh also lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal for the way the youngster dug deep and ensured that India had partnerships going. Most of the wickets lost were to soft dismissals, but Jaiswal's unbeaten century has ensured that there's still time for the hosts to make amends.
"Batters from Mumbai and West Zone are known to dig deep and play a massive innings, and that's what Jaiswal did today," added Singh (4:00). "He was very comfortable in his defence and ensured that he got those crucial partnerships consistently even when wickets fell at regular intervals. Just like his name, Yashasvi had a successful day out."
Jaiswal has Ravichandran Ashwin (5 off 10) for company, but there isn't much batting to come after that. The youngster might need to farm the strike and add crucial runs with the lower order.