Yashasvi Jaiswal's 3 domestic knocks that show he'll fit perfectly in India's Test 11
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been setting the domestic cricket world ablaze with his scintillating performances over the past few months. His incredible run in the domestic competitions and the recently concluded IPL, to go along with his Bradmanesque first-class record, has earned him a place in the Indian Test squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.
The Mumbai batter was selected to be among the standby players for the WTC final before getting picked to the core squad as India begins their 2023-25 WTC cycle. Jaiswal has each been in spectacular form over the past few months, leading up to their selection to the Indian Test squad.
The southpaw scored 315 runs in five games for Mumbai at an average of 45, with a century and a half-century. Following his exploits in the Ranji Trophy, the elegant batter scored a double century and a century for the Rest of India against Madhya Pradesh in the Irani Trophy earlier this year.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was also the leading run-scorer in the Duleep Trophy in September last year, scoring an incredible 497 runs in three games at a stunning average of 99.40. The 21-year-old continued his blistering run at this year's IPL for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), scoring 625 runs at an average of 48.08 and a strike rate of 163.61.
Overall, the aggressive left-hander has scored close to 2,000 runs in his Ranji Trophy career of 15 games at an incredible average of 80.21 with nine centuries. The youngster scored three successive centuries in the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy to help Mumbai qualify for the final.
With right-handers predominantly stacking Team India's top order, the left-handed Jaiswal at No.3 could lend better balance to their batting lineup.
As we look ahead to the West Indies series in a fortnight, let us look at Yashasvi Jaiswal's three domestic knocks that prove his perfect fit into India's Test playing XI.
#1 213 and 144* against Madhya Pradesh, Irani Cup 2023
Yashasvi Jaiswal's batting in the recent Irani Cup still remains etched in the memories of pundits and fans of Indian cricket. The southpaw put on a display for the ages, breaking numerous first-class records in the process.
Playing for Rest-of-India (ROI) against Madhya Pradesh, Jaiswal batted at one drop and scored a scintillating 213, coming in at 7/1 in the third over of the first innings. His 371-run partnership with Abhimanyu Easwaran helped ROI reach a match-winning total of 484 in their first essay.
However, the 21-year-old wasn't finished just yet as he returned to score another incredible 144 in the second innings, displaying tremendous physical and mental toughness.
Jaiswal batted at a supreme strike rate of above 80 in the first innings and took it a step further in the second essay to score at a strike rate of over 90. ROI won the game by 238 runs, with Jaiswal winning the Player of the Match.
The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer became the first batter to score a double century and a century in the same Irani Cup final. With 357 runs in the match, Jaiswal also became the highest scorer in a single Irani Cup edition, surpassing Shikhar Dhawan's tally of 332 in 2012-13.
He also became the 12th Indian to score a double century and century in the same first-class game and the 10th batter to score a double ton in the Irani Cup.
Apart from the numbers and the record, the young sensation adapting to the No.3 position despite being a regular opener augurs well for his fit with Team India.
In the upcoming series against the West Indies, the left-hander will bat at three should he make his debut, replacing the incumbent Cheteshwar Pujara.
#2 265 against South Zone, Dulpeep Trophy 2022 final
Although Yashasvi Jaiswal had a historic 2021/22 Ranji Trophy, with three successive centuries to lead Mumbai to the final, his breakthrough came in the 2022 Duleep Trophy.
Having already scored a breathtaking 228 for West Zone in the quarter-final against North East Zone, the youngster was full of confidence entering the final against South Zone. After missing out in the first innings, Jaiswal stepped up to the party in the second essay with the match hanging in the balance.
Trailing by 57, the southpaw scored an other-worldly 265 in West Zone's second innings to power them to a total of 585/4 declared, setting up a target of 529 for South Zone.
The knock helped West Zone become Duleep Trophy champions, and the Mumbai opener finished the tournament as the leading scorer with 497 runs in three games at an average of 99.40.
During the final, Yashasvi Jaiswal also became the joint-fastest to 1,000 first-class runs (13 innings), equalling Rusi Modi and Amol Muzumdar for the record. The talented opening batter also became the first to score a double century in the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup in the same season.
His appetite for marathon knocks and the added consistency to go along with a terrific strike rate makes Jaiswal a huge bright spot for the future of the Indian Test team.
#2 162 against Hyderabad, Ranji Trophy 2023
Yashasvi Jaiswal's lone Ranji Trophy century for Mumbai this season came in their second game against Hyderabad. Despite not holding the significance and euphoria of his heroics in the preceding Duleep Trophy or the Irani Cup that followed, Jaiswal's 162 was a classy knock to end a spectacular 2022.
Filled with eye-popping strokes, the 21-year-old hit 27 fours and a six to help Mumbai to a mammoth 651/6 in their first innings. The team never looked back and decimated the Hyderabad batting lineup to win by an innings and 217 runs.
Despite featuring in only four of Mumbai's seven games in the campaign, Yashasvi Jaiswal stamped his authority on the tournament with this magnificent knock to get the team off to a 2-0 start.