Yashasvi Jaiswal made strong claims for a coveted Test cap during an intra-squad match.©Instagram
Yashasvi Jaiswal made strong claims for a coveted Test cap during an intra-squad exhibition match ahead of the series opener against the West Indies. Jaiswal’s test debut is a matter of time, but what could be a topic of discussion is his usual batting position which is open or one down, a position the seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara had to leave after nearly three years of non-performance and an archaic style of hitting the test match.
The Indian team included some local club cricketers along with its own 16 players for the two-day training and exhibition match. The first test will begin on July 12.
With Pujara being suspended, 20-year old Jasiwal was seen opening the at bat with skipper Rohit Sharma. A Mohammed Siraj ramp and a grating square cut from Unadkat were classy.
While Jaiswal was allowed to play 76 balls, his skipper settled for 67 balls before stopping.
However, Jaiswal’s promotion ahead of regular opener Shubman Gill is an indication that head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit are thinking of bleeding the young Mumbai batsman as an opener.
According to the long term plan of the Indian team management, they could use Shubman Gill as their number 3 batsman and try out Jaiswal as the opener.
It should be mentioned that Gill, who has been one of the most consistent hitters in recent times, is actually a middle class player, preferring to play number 3 or 4 during his days as an India U-19 and India A player. .
In fact, it was under the guidance of Dravid in the age group and trajectory team (India A) that Gill had beaten in the mid-table.
He has a double hundred (204) in an ‘A’ test against the West Indies in 2019 at Tarouba. In that innings, he batted at No. 5 (virtually No. 4) when Shahbaz Nadeem was sent as night watchman on the second night.
With Kohli at No. 4 and Ajinkya Rahane at No. 5, along with Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6 and KS Bharath at No. 7, the batting order seems more or less sorted.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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