Jaiswal reveals Rohit’s advice to him during blistering ton, explains how Virat, others have improved his game

LONDON: India’s young swashbuckler Yashasvi Jaiswal spilt the beans about the message he received from former Test captain Rohit Sharma, who was present in the stands during the third day of the fifth Test against England at Kennington Oval in London.

The explosive seasoned opener graced the stadium with his presence, donning the black shades and witnessing the riveting contest unfolding between the two spirited sides. The crowd bustled with thrill, and Rohit would have certainly felt the jolts of it when Jaiswal unleashed a barrage of boundaries from his heavily loaded artillery.

Jaiswal made the most of the opportunity throughout his stay at the crease in his knock that was riddled with luck. After being dropped thrice, he blazed his way to his fourth overseas Test ton for India. After the end of the day’s play, Jaiswal disclosed that Rohit had asked him to “keep playing”.

“I saw Rohit bhai and said hi. He gave me the message to keep playing,” Jaiswal told reporters during a press conference after the end of the third day.
At 23, Jaiswal has played with India’s batting mainstays, including Rohit, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, captain Shubman Gill and others. The presence of the batting stalwarts has assisted him in transforming not only his game but also in growing as a person.

“I think that’s how you need to plan your game. I need to plan my game, my innings, where my shots are and where I’m going to score runs. So, of course, I keep getting all these messages and playing with the seniors as long as I have played with Rohit Bhai, Virat Bhai. So, playing with them as well helped me a lot grow as a person and seeing them, what they have done in Test cricket, how they have prepared themselves,” he said.

“So, I think it really helped me, especially to improve as a player and especially playing with all my mates now, KL (Rahul) Bhai, the way we chat and what we think about the game, how we think about the game, Gill Bhai everyone is just, it’s very interesting and it’s like I’m really enjoying it,” he added.

Throughout Jaiswal’s stay at the crease, the wicket turned in its nature and adapted to London’s atmosphere. After negating the early threat, the pitch slightly flattened out but offered enough movement to quicks to cast magic. Despite the precarious situation that Jaiswal found himself in, he managed to find a way to enjoy it.

“The wicket was a little spicy, so I was having a lot of fun batting. I was enjoying it a lot because I expected that in England, when you play, you play wicket like this. So, mentally I was ready, and I was just enjoying,” he said.

Jaiswal walloped a century in 127 deliveries by pushing the ball for a single off Gus Atkinson. He punched the air in jubilation, blew kisses towards the stands, as his parents, along with the crowd, cheered and applauded his sheer brilliance.

His exploits concluded while trying to execute the upper cut off Josh Tongue, a shot he has deployed on several occasions throughout his stay in the second innings. He timed his shot but failed to get the desired placement.

While possibly trying to target the deep square, he found Jamie Overton at the third man and returned with a valiant 118(164). Jaiswal’s second ton of the series laid the foundation for India to muscle its way to a daunting 396. (ANI)