Yashasvi Jaiswal answers back-to-back India A century critics

Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to have found his rhythm at the right time. The Indian opener made his second consecutive century for India A against New Zealand A, scoring 102 off 138 balls in the third four-day match at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Saturday.

The knock followed his unbeaten 155 in the second match at Hagley Oval, giving back-to-back hundreds to the left-hander as he builds for India’s upcoming Test assignment in New Zealand. India A ended the rain-soaked opening day at 227 for 2, with B Sai Sudharsan unbeaten on 77 as he shared an impressive 175-run opening stand with Jaiswal.

Asked to bat on the green after losing the toss, the Indian openers started cautiously against Brett Randell and Zak Gibson, who found movement with the new ball. But as the first-change bowlers came in, Jaiswal shifted gears, taking on Jarrod McKay with a six and a flurry of boundaries. He continued the attack after the break, surviving a dropped catch at first slip before moving into the nineties to bring up his century off 127 deliveries.

Jaiswal’s innings featured 16 fours and two sixes, with two consecutive boundaries from Dean Foxcroft taking him to three figures. However, his stay ended shortly after as convulsions forced him to seek medical attention. When he came back, he tried to drive Danru Ferns, but the ball bounced to mid-off and departed for 102.

JAISWAL FINDS THE FORM AT THE RIGHT TIME

The back-to-back centuries mark a significant turnaround for Jaiswal, who has endured a difficult ride in red-ball cricket heading into the New Zealand series. The 24-year-old managed just 77 runs in three innings during India’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August and has not scored a half-century in the format since then. His struggles continued on the New Zealand A tour where he started with scores of 17 and 5 in the first unofficial Test before registering a four-ball duck in the first innings of the second match. He also had a 13-ball duck in the Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh in Mumbai.

Jaiswal has recorded four ducks in nine innings since touring Sri Lanka, so his recent turnaround was particularly timely. His unbeaten 155 in Christchurch was his 18th first-class century and took him past the 5,000-run mark in the format. He now has 5,145 first-class runs at an average of 53.59, with 18 hundreds and 18 fifties. 102 at Lincoln gave him another valuable innings in the middle before the start of the two-Test series on 19 November.

Sai Sudharsan provided stability at the other end and reached his second half-century of the series. Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for 15 after he edged Gibson behind, while Dhruv Jurel joined Sudharsan before rain ended the day’s play prematurely.

The India A team also features several members of the Indian Test setup, including Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Prasidh Krishna. Jaiswal’s return to big results will be an encouraging development for the visitors as they prepare for the Test challenge.

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