"I am seeing Rishabh Pant there" - Ravichandran Ashwin speaks highly of Yashasvi Jaiswal after Day 1 of 1st IND vs ENG Test
Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped praise on youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal after his excellent knock on Day 1 of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad on Thursday (January 25).
In reply to England's 246 in the first innings, Jaiswal fired on all cylinders from the word go. He smashed an unbeaten 76 off 70 balls, including nine boundaries and three sixes, as umpires called the end of the day's play.
Ashwin likened Jaiswal's knock to that of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant because of their aggressive game against left-arm spinners.
"That's the beauty of playing this sport at this level," Ashwin told the host broadcaster after the day's play. "Somebody breaks through the system, doesn't have any excess baggage, had a great time in the IPL, had a wonderful start to his first-class cricket. He's literally not put a foot wrong. He's walked into Test cricket, he's taken it like a fish to water. His carefree approach is enabling him to play some wonderful shots."
"I am quite enjoying it," he continued. "I get a feeling sometimes when he's batting, I am seeing Rishabh Pant there. Both of them bat similarly to the left-arm spinner. Jaiswal has got a lot of shots, his range is pretty wide and the fearless approach at the moment is serving him really well."
Yashasvi Jaiswal's blazing knock helped India take the driver's seat, ending the day at 119/1 after 23 overs. They currently trail by 127 runs, with Shubman Gill (14*) accompanying Jaiswal at the other end. Skipper Rohit Sharma failed to capitalize on the great start, throwing away his wicket with a rash shot after scoring 24 off 27 balls.
"240 was a very, very good competitive total I thought" - Ravichandran Ashwin
Indian spinners had a good day at the office to bowl out England for 246 runs after Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got the visitors off to a decent start. The hosts had the visitors at 155/7 but Ben Stokes' gutsy 70-run innings helped the team to a challenging total.
Ashwin reckoned that 30-40 fewer runs would've been ideal but conceded that Jasiwal's rollicking start had helped them take an advantageous position.
"240 was a very, very good competitive total I thought," he continued. "When we left the field, I was thinking probably 30-40 runs more than what we would have liked. The start that Jaiswal and Rohit gave us is making us breathe a little easy. Someone going on and making a hundred tomorrow will put us in the driver's seat."
Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers, returning with three wickets. Ravindra Jadeja aided well with another three scalps, while Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah complemented well with two wickets apiece.