It has been a while since India found an aggressive opening batter since the heydays of Virender Sehwag, who could tear apart opposition attacks at will.
Seems like Team India have found one, although not as ruthless as Sehwag, in the supremely talented Yashasvi Jaiswal, who slammed his second Test hundred in six Tests so far with a calculated assault on the English bowlers.
Although, it's still early days in his promising career, Jaiswal has been a revelation thus far with an average of over 45 that underscores the impact he has made.
It's been a fascinating journey for this 22-year-old lad, who hails from Suriyawan in Bhadohi, UP and made Mumbai his adopted home.
From showcasing his untapped potential at Azad Maidan since the age of 12 and struggling through the daily grind of Mumbai life to make ends meet and yet keeping the passion for cricket burning, Jaiswal has come a long way.
Today, Jaiswal is probably the brightest spot looking at the future as far as Indian batting in Test cricket is concerned.
Yashasvi Jaiswal plays career-defining knock in Vizag
With the likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer unable to make a big impact and still finding their footing, Jaiswal's knock in Vizag is a career-defining one for him. He is here to stay for a long time to come.
And the transition he has made to Test cricket from the razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which gave him his initial burst of superstardom has been rather smooth.
The combative yet measured approach that is the need of batting in Test cricket has been brought to the fore by Jaiswal in style.
In the mould of a Sehwag or even recently the inimitable Rishabh Pant, Jaiswal is a batter who puts the ball over the ropes if it needs to be put there and he did exactly that while bringing up his hundred in Vizag.
And when he needs to knuckle down and wear the bowlers out with a strong defensive technique, he is equally adept at that. A strike rate of 69.64 in an innings of 179 (at stumps, day 1) off 257 balls is a text book illustration of classical Test batting of the modern era.
With India shockingly 0-1 down in the five-match Test series, Jaiswal will have a big role with the bat in India reviving their fortunes going forward.
