Jaiswal too good for ‘Bazball’

The main attraction heading into England's ongoing five-match Test series against India was whether England's 'Bazball' tactics would work in the Indian subcontinent. 

It did the trick in the first Test in Hyderabad, when Ben Stokes' England sprung a surprise on the hosts with a 28-run win.

But in the following two Tests, one young Indian batter gave it back to the English bowlers, dazzled with his finesse and also his ability to bludgeon the cricket ball as he paved the way for the hosts to take a 2-1 lead.

The name of the Southpaw is, of course, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who now finds himself in elite company in the record books just seven Tests into his career.
Yesterday, in one fell swoop, Jaiswal broke records set by his skipper Rohit Sharma, went level with Pakistan's Wasim Akram, and found himself in the same category as Sir Donald Bradman.

Jaiswal's unbeaten 214 off just 234 balls in the second innings of the Rajkot Test, where he plundered 14 fours and 12 sixes, was the first for an Indian batter in the second innings of a Test since Wasim Jaffer did it against South Africa in 2006.

This innings came after his maiden double ton in Tests in Visakhapatnam, an impressive 209 off 290 balls which set up the series-leveling 106-run win. Before that, Jaiswal made his arrival felt in Test cricket with a century on debut in the West Indies.The good series against the Caribbeans was followed by an underwhelming one in South Africa, which drew doubts from naysayers about his ability against top opponents. The left-hander has dispelled those fears so far against England, as he has been the only Indian batter who has scored runs throughout the series, having made a well-compiled 80 in the first Test as well.
He averaged over 80 in first-class cricket when making his debut for India and now averages 71.75 in Tests.
Jaiswal had been earmarked for greatness since his days at age-level cricket. He was the highest run-getter in the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup, averaging over 133.

From having to sell snacks at the roadside to make some extra bucks to becoming the next big thing in Indian cricket, his story has attracted many. Former cricketers and experts are envisioning a sparkling future for the young left-hander.

But among the many cricketing greats he matched yesterday in the records column, there is also a cricketer named Vinod Kamble, who, like Jaiswal, was once considered the next big thing in Indian cricket alongside Sachin Tendulkar, but ended up becoming a cautionary tale.

Like Jaiswal, Kambli also hit consecutive double hundreds very early on in his career and averaged above 80 while making his Test debut. But off-field shenanigans meant he could only play 17 Tests for India. Jaiswal now has the world in his palms and if he doesn't lose his way like Kambli, the world could very well rejoice in his own brand of cricket for many more years to come.

Key stats 

** India's 434-run victory is the largest for them in terms of runs where all four innings were played. The previous highest was a win by 372 runs against New Zealand at the Wankhede in 2021.

** Jaiswal made back-to-back double hundreds at the age of 22 years and 49 days, making him the third youngest batter in the world to record two double centuries in Tests after Sir Donald Bradman and Vinod Kambli, both of whom were 21 during their second double ton. He also became the third Indian batter to score successive double hundreds in Tests after Kambli and Virat Kohli.

** Jaiswal hit 12 sixes during his 236-ball unbeaten 214, equalling the record for the most sixes in a Test innings set by Wasim Akram way back in 1996 during his knock of 257 against Zimbabwe.

** Jaiswal hit three consecutive sixes off James Anderson -- a first for the veteran quick with 696 wickets in 185 Tests.

** The left-hander now has 22 sixes in the series, making it the most any batter has recorded in a bilateral Test series. Jaiswal beat the record set by his opening partner Rohit Sharma in 2019 against South Africa (19 sixes).

** As a team, India have smashed 48 sixes in the ongoing Test series, the most by any team in a Test series. India beat their own record of 47 sixes against South Africa in 2019. 28 of those 48 sixes came in the Rajkot Test alone, the most by any team in a single Test match.