Amazing how Yashasvi Jaiswal went from Test mode to pure T20 mode: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar lavished praise on young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for his fantastic hundred on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test against England on Saturday, February 17. Hailing the batter, Manjrekar said that it was amazing how he shifted gears from Test mode to T20 mode during his innings.

Jaiswal smashed 104 off 133 balls with the aid of nine fours and five sixes before retiring hurt due to back spasms. He began cautiously but broke free in the second half of his innings, punishing the England bowlers.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar commented that he was highly impressed with the manner in which Jaiswal paced his innings after getting off to a slow start.

“I was a little worried with how he started off. I felt he came in pre-conditioned to play defensively because he is a naturally attacking player. But slowly he opened up and once he opened up, it was amazing how he went from Test mode to pure T20 mode. The strike rate he attained after the first 50 balls was in keeping with the T20 game,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by India Today.

The 58-year-old went on to make a big statement about the youngster, stating that he has all the ingredients to become a special player.

“To begin with he showed some technique with defensive shots but after that is what made him special. We saw the sweep, the reverse-sweep, the switch-side sweep as well plus the drives that he plays beautifully. He’s got the power game as well. He’s got all the ingredients to become a special player. This was another reminder of the exceptional ability he has,” Manjrekar said.

While Jaiswal retired hurt before the close of play, Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 65 as India went to stumps on Day 3 at 196/2, with an overall lead of 322 runs.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal’s performance in the Test series so far

Jaiswal (22) has been in excellent form in the ongoing Test series against England. He is currently the leading run-getter in the series, with 435 runs in six innings. The left-hander scored 80 & 15 in the first Test in Hyderabad and followed it up with 209 & 17 in the second match in Visakhapatnam.

The southpaw was dismissed for 10 in the first innings in Rajkot before notching up a fantastic ton in the second essay.