Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal used a blend of caution and aggression on Day 1 to dominate England's bowling attack in the second Test at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. While Jaiswal held on to one end, other Indian batters threw away good starts. The southpaw took it session by session and now wants to carry the momentum on Day 2. After the end of the day's play, the 22-year-old revealed he got messages from the dressing room as well.
“Rahul sir and Rohit bhai kept giving me the confidence and told me to convert this into a big innings, and stay till the end,” Jaiswal told the broadcaster after the end of day’s play.
Jaiswal said that he did not look too far ahead and waited for his chance to score. He hit as many as five sixes and 17 fours on Day 1 during his 179-run knock.
“I wanted to play it session by session. When they were bowling well, I just wanted to get through that spell. Initially, the wicket was damp and there was spin and bounce, with a bit of seam. However, I wanted to convert the loose balls, and play till the end. I would love to double this up, and play till the end for the team,” he said.
In the last hour, Jaiswal struggled with his right arm which needed medical attention. He also had a painkiller on the field as India lost three wickets in the final session. On Day 2, he will have a chance to become the second Indian left-handed opener to score a double century in Tests.
“I want to recover well for tomorrow now. The pitch played a bit differently, in the morning it was a bit damp and then it settled. With the older ball, there was some bounce,” he further added.
India will start on Day 2 from 336/6. While the goal will be to get close to 500, Jaiswal will have another record in sight as well. If he goes past 209, he will break Gautam Gambhir’s record for the highest score by a left-handed opener for India. Also, if he goes past 230, he will break the 69-year-old record of highest score by a left-handed opener on Indian soil. The record belongs to New Zealand's Bert Sutcliffe.
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