The fact that Yashasvi Jaiswal became only the 17th Indian to score a hundred on Test debut has given enough reason to play with his name in headline.
The name speaks for itself as it means being victorious or successful. For Jaiswal, he would've only dreamed that it would some day signify such success in his very first innings in Test cricket.
Since the time he came out to bat with skipper Rohit Sharma on Day 1 of the opening Test against West Indies, Jaiswal appeared assured and confident to take on the challenges that were presented to him. The West Indies pace attack for one tested him for a while as was expected. The biggest threat should have come from the West Indies spinners.
The pitch being slow and sluggish at times, West Indies missed a trick or two. Rakheem Cornwall bowled well and troubled the batters. But Cornwall got unwell and after that it was quite easy at times for the Indian batters.
Sharma and Shubman Gill fell when they could have cashed in. But overall, it was the Jaiswal show at the Windsor Park in Dominica on Thursday night.
Jaiswal was waiting for the opportunity for a while. He had been India’s next in line opener, marked out for future honours. But no one, Jaiswal included, expected that his turn would come so soon and that too in Test cricket.
There were other claimants ahead of him in the queue. The likes of Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran had been toiling and scoring runs galore in all sorts of red ball matches. They were expected to be given the chance first. Panchal and Easwaran had been on a couple of Test tours as well without ever getting an opportunity in the previous World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Both Easwaran and Panchal have also applied to get lifelong benefits (if there is anything like that!) from being long-term India A red ball captains. But somewhere down the line all the efforts put in by Panchal and Easwaran have come to a nought.
They were leapfrogged for India Test honours by Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Jaiswal’s first-class record was impressive, even though the sample size was small. Gaikwad was picked more on promise than anything else, having not played much first-class cricket in the recent past.
Clearly the selectors and the Indian team think-tank were keen to break from the past and jump one generation when giving opportunities to a new opener. The thinking was clear that a transition in the Test match batting line-up had to begin as soon as possible. All the claimants for the openers’ slot were around the same age. So, to break the monotony it was decided to invest in a left-handed Jaiswal.
There are of course some other names who have been considered in the past like Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal. In the case of Shaw, there are more discussions about off the field stories than on-field exploits. Agarwal did everything that was asked of him by going back to domestic cricket and scoring lots of runs for Karnataka in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season.
But even that was not enough for the think-tank. Clearly, the plan was to break from the past.
Jaiswal’s biggest asset and something that cannot be asserted enough is the fact that he is left-handed. That is a big plus that the Indian think-tank has clearly invested in a lot. The last left-hander to open the batting in Tests for India was Shikhar Dhawan. He also began in grand style with a breathtaking hundred on Test debut against Australia in 2012-13. For a while that experiment worked well for India, till the returns became meagre from Dhawan. The Dhawan opening gambit in Tests ended about five years ago. Since then, India has been struggling to find a proper left-handed batter in the line-up.
Jaiswal provides that hope with the bat. He has runs to his name in first-class cricket. The fact that he scored runs aplenty in the 2023 IPL season also has helped matters. He has spent a lot of time discussing and learning cricket alongside some champions at the Rajasthan Royals. The Royals’ Director of Cricket is Kumar Sangakkara, then there are the likes of Jos Buttler with whom Jaiswal opens the batting and there is the modern maestro, Joe Root. Jaiswal has got enough and more opportunities to learn from the best.
Imagine getting these opportunities before even playing a single game for India in any format. That has catapulted Jaiswal in the elite list from the very first Test innings. He appeared assured and unfazed. It almost seemed as if Jaiswal was making an announcement that he has been through the same grind on a bigger stage.
It may be a bit harsh but Panchal and Easwaran are probably paying for not being considered for an IPL franchise. Performances in first-class cricket matters and has created opportunities for many. But the stint in IPL toughens you up, at least that is the message from the think-tank to prospective performers.
But the toughest test for Jaiswal begins now. He has scored a hundred on Test debut, but not many have gone on to have great careers. The list of debutant century makers shows some cricketers who promised a lot but did not deliver much. The last opening batter to score a hundred on Test debut was Shaw and look where that story is right now. Shreyas Iyer is another name that comes to mind but he has had a stop start Test career.
Of course, the likes of GR Viswanath, Mohammed Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly have joined the pantheon of greats with their feats. The success rate is not that high as compared to slow starters in Test cricket.
Jaiswal’s challenges will now come against tougher attacks in tougher conditions as well. India’s next Test challenge is in South Africa against a rampaging Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. India has failed the African challenge for three decades. Will Jaiswal be able to surmount the challenge?
Then there are challenges at home against England, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. The biggest challenge comes at the end of 2024 when India travels to Australia for a full five-Test tour. But for Jaiswal to last that long he must survive the challenges that are thrown before him.
Thankfully for him Jaiswal he has several white ball opportunities lined up especially in the T20 format which should keep him in good stead. The surest way to stay in shape is to play constantly which is a big plus for Jaiswal because he is considered an all-format player. Panchal, Easwaran, Shaw and Agarwal at times fail this test. Jaiswal has passed not just this test, but scored in his first Test innings as well.
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