"He realized this is a bowler who's not going to give him hittable balls" - Sanjay Manjrekar praises Yashasvi Jaiswal's maturity on Day 1
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar praised young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal's maturity in negating James Anderson during his knock of 179* on Day 1 of the second Test against England.
While the 22-year-old scored at a brisk overall strike rate of 70, he weathered Anderson's spell with patience. He scored only eight runs off 47 deliveries and ensured that he wasn't dismissed by the pacer. It was Jaiswal's second Test century in only his sixth outing, and the southpaw has converted both his tons to 150+ scores.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo at Stumps on Day 1, Manjrekar was impressed by Jaiswal's ability to read the game situation and play the waiting game against Anderson.
"It wasn't like Jimmy Anderson didn't bowl much, he bowled a lot. I don't think a single boundary was hit by Jaiswal against him. That is maturity. He realized this is a bowler who's not going to give him hittable balls," said Manjrekar.
Manjrekar added:
"He is an attacking player, very much a modern-day product and an IPL star as well. But a lot of the shots today were not him trying to unsettle the bowler or trying to play Bazball. It was him punishing the loose balls and that was the most impressive thing about Jaiswal. This was not so much counter-attacking but more Jaiswal batting normally and then progressively starting to dominate. And that was an excellent sign."
Jaiswal's 179* off 257 deliveries ensured India finished Day 1 at a relatively safe 336/6 in 93 overs.
The youngster scored a breathtaking 171 against the West Indies on Test debut in July last year, but missed out on three figures in his next eight innings before the ongoing fixture.
"If he gets there, whatever he gets after that is more for the team" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Yashavi Jaiswal's possible double-century
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Yashasvi Jaiswal converting his century into a double ton would be invaluable for the team, considering that the other batters threw away decent starts.
Despite Jaiswal's heroics, India still have plenty to do to achieve a massive first-innings total. While all six dismissed batters entered double figures, none of them crossed even the 40-run mark.
"So Yashasvi has got a 100 for himself and the next one (200) if he gets there, whatever he gets after that is more for the team. A knock that Rahul Dravid and the team management will be very happy with and obliged to Jaiswal. What he did was make up for those who got in and got out. A lot of the batters got 30s on a much more manageable pitch but couldn't go on to get a 100," said Manjrekar.
The fact that Shubman Gill's 34 was the second-highest score by an Indian batter highlights the significance of Jaiswal's knock.
India are coming off a shocking 28-run loss in the opening Test at Hyderabad. They find themselves in a virtual must-win situation to level the five-match series at one apiece.