"He looks so hungry for runs": Gavaskar hails Yashasvi Jaiswal after second day's play in Perth Test
Nov 23, 2024
New Delhi [India], November 23 : Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Indian youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal on Saturday and said that the 22-year-old looked hungry for runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul played a stupendous knock on Saturday. The two openers cemented a 172-run knock and put India in the driver's seat in the Perth Test.
Jaiswal scored 90 runs from 193 balls at a strike rate of 46.63. While Rahul smashed 62 runs from 153 balls at a strike rate of 40.52. Both the batters stayed unbeaten on the crease at the stumps of Day 02.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Gavaskar called Yashasvi "special" following his performance during India's second inning against Australia in Perth.
"This boy's is special, He really is special. Looking at where he's come from and the way he's been batting, the way he's been handling fame, it's not easy sometimes to handle fame. Against England, he scored more than 700 runs in five test matches, two double-hundreds earlier in the year. And he looks so hungry for runs, which is what you want as a batter. A lot of us were told, get a hundred. I think he says, I want to get a 150 or 200. He's hungry for runs, and that's exactly what Indian cricket needs," Gavaskar was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.
He added that Yashasvi has the cricketing world at his feet.
"A left-hander who at the top of the order can create problems for the bowlers, whether they're Australian, English, whatever, because he brings a completely different perspective. He likes to play his shots. He's not one of those really ultra-watchful batters. He'll play his shots. Some of the shots that he played off Mitchell Starc tell you the confidence that he has. So clearly, I think, Yashasvi Jaiswal, he has the cricketing world at his feet," he added.
The Indian team made a fine comeback in the first Test against Australia after getting bundled out for 150 in the first innings in Perth. The fast bowling unit brought things back on track as the Jasprit Bumrah-led side bowled out the hosts for 104 in their first innings.
While the stand-in captain Bumrah scalped fifer, Harshit Rana who made his Test debut alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy in this match, also showed his skills.
The visitors concluded the second day's proceedings at 172/0, leading by 218 with Yashasvi Jaiswal (90*) and KL Rahul (62*) at the crease.
Australia Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India Playing XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Mohammed Siraj.
