New Delhi, Sep 4 India left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal said shifting his game as per various scenarios and reading situations have been some of the important learnings he’s got from playing Test cricket in the last 12 months.
Since his debut against the West Indies last year, where he made a century on debut, Jaiswal has amassed 1028 runs in nine games, averaging 68.53 with a highest score of 214 not out. He was also adjudged Player of the Series in India’s 4-1 series win over England for making 712 runs in nine innings at an astonishing average of 89.
“I can see a lot of different scenarios and shift my game (accordingly) for the team and read the situations. These things have been very important for me in the last one year, and have made the biggest difference.”
“When I was playing domestic cricket, I was not aware of a lot of things. But since I started playing international cricket, my communication and reading of the game have improved a lot. I just look forward to that and want to keep learning,” said Jaiswal to reporters ahead of Team B's round one match in the Duleep Trophy against Team A on Thursday.
He also talked about making a mindset change when it is time to play red-ball cricket. “It is just the mindset as to how quickly I can shift (to playing red-ball format) and from practice sessions, I try to work on my skills, and all the shots that I want to play.”
“As always I see myself doing the right thing, focus on my process, and keep preparing because as we know cricket is like you have to just be consistent with your work and keep doing it.”
Jaiswal further talked about how opening the batting alongside captain Rohit Sharma has been a huge learning experience. “It is an incredible experience whenever I go out and bat with him. He has shared a lot of his experiences with me. I really enjoy playing with him and the way he controls the game and understands the wickets, and the way he gives a message, it is spot on and there are a lot of things (to learn from him) that I can’t tell now.”
With India set to play ten Tests till January 2025, Jaiswal said his immediate aim is to do well in domestic games before the series against Bangladesh begins on September 19 in Chennai.
“I am just thinking to stick to my process and keep working hard on my net sessions and preparing for first of all Duleep Trophy and then I am looking forward to the Bangladesh series,” he said. “I think it will be amazing actually as I know that domestic cricket, Duleep Trophy, and Irani Trophy are really important games and it gives me a lot of confidence. I really enjoy playing them and looking forward to preparing myself for these games and it's just wonderful to get another opportunity to go and enjoy.”
Jaiswal signed off by revealing what new head coach Gautam Gambhir said to him on the tour of Sri Lanka. “Yes, I spoke with him when I was playing the Sri Lanka series and he is really confident about the players. He really backed us and just said go and play freely and enjoy the game and we will be with you. So that gives us a lot of confidence and of course, we will go and play fearless cricket and enjoy the game and take bold decisions.”
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