Young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal announced his arrival in the 50-over format in style, scoring his maiden ODI century against South Africa on Saturday. His brilliant knock was instrumental in India clinching the series 2-1. This century also completed a remarkable treble for the left-hander, making him a centurion in all three international formats.
Pathan's Praise and a Word of Caution
While celebrating Jaiswal's achievement, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan provided a detailed technical analysis of the batter's game. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan acknowledged Jaiswal's immense potential as an all-format player, even predicting before the series that he was capable of hitting a double-century if set.
"It was important to get runs off Yashasvi Jaiswal’s bat. The way he batted after his half-century showed he can make big scores," Pathan stated. He particularly praised Jaiswal's temperament, noting that despite early struggles where he was beaten several times while trying to cut or step out, the youngster showed maturity by not playing a rash shot and opting to grind it out.
The Crucial Technical Synchronisation
However, Pathan pinpointed a specific area for improvement. He observed a technical glitch that becomes more pronounced early in Jaiswal's innings, especially against left-arm bowlers.
"I would like to analyse his technique a bit deeper. His hip goes towards short fine leg and his shoulder’s upper body opens up and he tries to go side on. He needs to synchronize these three things," Pathan explained. The former cricketer suggested that Jaiswal should work on this aspect when he gets time, implying that fine-tuning this synchronisation could make him even more formidable.
Jaiswal's Learning Curve and Rohit's Guidance
For his match-winning 124-run knock, Jaiswal was rightly awarded the Player of the Match. In the post-match presentation, the 22-year-old revealed the significant role captain Rohit Sharma has played in his development. He mentioned having extensive chats with the skipper about pacing an innings, setting targets, and converting starts into big scores.
"We have been chatting a lot about how we can play... I had starts in the last two games but I couldn’t convert. So, we have been speaking about how we can convert this and how we balance this inning," Jaiswal shared. He elaborated on his thought process during the century, which involved judging when to attack and when to rotate strike, a plan he executed perfectly on the day.
Jaiswal's century and Pathan's analysis highlight the exciting journey of a prodigious talent. While his hunger for runs and ability to score big across formats is undeniable, mastering the technical nuance pointed out by an experienced campaigner like Pathan could be the key to unlocking unparalleled consistency at the highest level.
