Star India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has truly grabbed his opportunity with both hands in Tests. Opening the innings, Jaiswal has scored a remarkable 546 runs, including double centuries in consecutive Tests as well, which guided him to the apex of the run-scoring charts in this series as well. Following the second match in Visakhapatnam, India captain Rohit Sharma expressed his desire for Jaiswal to maintain humility and capitalise on the great start to his career as well. However, Shubman Gill also accepted the importance of contribution to the team. Gill cited Sarfaraz Khan’s debut Test performance, where he hit twin fifties in Rajkot, as a prime example of seizing the opportunities.
“I don’t think there is a problem with youngsters being not humble. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored double tons in back-to-back matches. You know, if you don’t have it (talent), then you will not be scoring back-to-back double hundreds. Not many in world cricket have scored back-to-back double hundreds. He definitely is a sensational player. We have seen it over eight or nine Tests. I dont think there is any conscious decision, maybe Rohit bhai did not want to talk about it at that point of time (not praising Jaiswal directly),” Gill said as quoted by NDTV Sports.
“Virat bhai is not with us for the last three Tests, and yes, the absence of a player of his class makes quite a bit of a difference. But I think Sarfaraz came in and played well. So, I think players are doing well in the opportunities that they are getting. There was a certain level of desperation in the aspirants to perform because they might lose their place once the first-choice players return,” he further added.
However, in the upcoming Ranchi Test, India will miss the services of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who’s been rested as a part of workload management. Bumrah, the highest wicket-taker for India and overall in the ongoing five-match Test series with 17 scalps in three Tests, will be absent in the all-important Test. But, Gill remained hopeful, highlighting the experience of other Indian pacers as well. He opined on Mohammed Siraj’s impressive four-wicket haul in Rajkot as well.
“Like I talked about Virat bhai, if a player of the class of Boom bhai is not playing, any team will miss him, especially since he leads our fast-bowling attack. But if you look at it, Siraj took four wickets in crucial times in the last match. So, I think, all the pacers have enough experience in Indian conditions, especially bowling reverse-swing,” Shubman Gill concluded.
