The Indian Test cricket team is in an ups and downs phase these days. Many experienced players are dropping out due to age and some due to poor performances. One of them was 35-year-old Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped from the Indian squad for the recently announced West Indies tour.
Pujara has long been India's backbone, spending long periods at the crease in Tests at home and abroad and troubling opposition bowlers with runs. Rahul Dravid used to do the same before him. Both used to bat at number-3, now Yashshwi Jaiswal and Rituraj Gaekwad have been selected to fill their place on the West Indies tour.
Looking at the stats, technique and past record, it seems that Yashaswi will get a chance to debut before Gaikwad. With captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill still in the opening position, Yashaswin will have to bat at number-3 in place of Pujara.
Ahead of his debut, the 21-year-old Yashshwi will have the responsibility to fill the void left by Dravid and Pujara. Who scored more than 18 thousand runs for India in the last 28 years and also scored 55 centuries.
Further in the story, we will understand through Yashaswi's performance and playing style in domestic cricket whether he can become India's new 'The Wall'...
First let's look at Jaiswal's performance in first class cricket, on the basis of which he was selected in Team India...
Jaiswal's great record in domestic cricket
Jaiswal has performed brilliantly in domestic cricket for the past 3 years. He plays for Mumbai and made his Ranji Trophy debut against Chhattisgarh in 2019. Meanwhile, Yashaswi was batting only at number three. After some time, Jaiswal started opening for Mumbai and in the last 2 seasons he scored many runs in this position.
In 2019–20, Jaiswal was included in the top-5 run scorers of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (ODI tournament). He scored 564 runs in 6 matches at an average of 112.80. He is the youngest cricketer in the world to score a double century in List-A.
Yashaswi scored at an average of 83 in the 2021-22 first class season. He scored a double century in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup at the start of the domestic season this year.
Was with Team India in the WTC finals
Jaiswal joined the World Test Championship (WTC) as a reserve player. However, he did not get a chance in the team. But now in the new cycle of WTC, Jaiswal can start his Test career as a batsman at number-3.
Yashaswi made his IPL debut in the year 2020 after playing the Under-19 World. After an average performance in the beginning, he performed well in the last series. He opened with Jos Buttler and won the Emerging Player of the Season award.
He opened with Jos Buttler while playing for Rajasthan Royals and surpassed Buttler in terms of performances. Yashaswi was among the top-5 run scorers of the season with 625 runs in 14 matches. During this he also scored a century.
Scored a century against Bangladesh-A in 2022
In 2022, Yashaswi Jaiswal played 2 Test matches for India A against Bangladesh A. India could play only one innings in both the matches. In the first match, Jaiswal opened and scored a century. He scored 146 runs off 226 balls, but could only score 12 runs in the second match.
Jaiswal has the range of shots, but not as defensive as Dravid-Pujara
Jaiswal is an amazing batsman and his strike rate in first class cricket is around 70 runs. Jaiswal is also scoring runs at a strike rate of 70 with excellent technique in the longer format, which is fantastic. He is not lacking in shots and apart from being a technically sound batsman, his footwork and timing are also strong. Play the right shots and don't try too hard to play risky shots. This process can take him far in the test.
Yashaswi's strike rate is what sets him apart from Dravid and Pujara. Dravid and Pujara scored runs at a strike rate of less than 45 in their Test career. Dravid's strike rate in Tests is 42.51 and Pujara's 44.36. Whereas, Yashaswi's strike rate in first class cricket is 67.48. It would be a bit difficult to say whether Jaiswal will become the next 'The Wall' and tire out the opposition bowlers in such a scenario, but one thing is clear that this young cricketer has immense potential to last in Team India for a long time. .
