To say that Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the breakout star for India in the ongoing Test series against England would be an understatement.
The Mumbai southpaw has owned the series thus far with two back-to-back double hundreds, the majestic second double struck in emphatic fashion against the hapless Englishmen in Rajkot.
Jaiswal's unconquered, career-defining 214 has placed India fairly and squarely in pole position to clinch the third Test and take a crucial 2-1 series lead. The highlight of Jaiswal's scintillating knock was the sheer audacity of how he went about executing the strokes depositing the ball out of the ground on 12 occasions, equalling the world record for most sixes in a Test innings set by the legendary Wasim Akram for Pakistan against Zimbabwe, way back in 1996.
Yashasvi Jaiswal takes England off-guard:
At 22 years and 52 days, he also became the third youngest man to score two double centuries in Tests after Vinod Kambli and Don Bradman.
The opener also smashed the most sixes in a Test series for India with his 20 maximums.
Rohit Sharma is in the second spot with 19 sixes while Harbhajan Singh takes the third place with 14 maximums in a Test series.
With 14 fours as well, apart from the 12 maximums, and a strike rate of 90.67, Jaiswal's knock stunned the England attack which is rather inexperienced and lacking a sense of balance in their repertoire, be it pace or spin.
The young lad has sealed the opening position with the knocks in this series and is India's most promising young superstar in Test cricket.
These are yet early days in the career of Jaiswal and he would know that there is a long way to go before he can achieve the absolute zenith of his potential.
From the maidans of Mumbai to the Test arena:
With his composure against the English bowlers to rack up the double hundred, Jaiswal has signalled the era of dominance that beckons for him and Indian cricket at large. The unbroken 172-run fifth-wicket partnership between Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, who made a striking 68 not out, was an exhibition of two players taking their game from the maidans of Mumbai to the high-profile world of Test cricket.
It was a victory of the Mumbai school of batsmanship on display with not an inch given to the opposition as they went about accumulating runs galore. With two back-to-back half-centuries in his debut Test, the diminutive Sarfaraz has made a grand entry to his much-awaited appearance for India.
