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India great's humongous prediction for Yashasvi Jaiswal during India vs West Indies 1st Test
The veteran of 105 Tests said Yashasvi Jaiswal should target a century on debut against the West Indies.
India captain Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared a bit unsettled in the beginning, especially against Alzarri Joseph but after the rub of the green went their way, the Indian openers stamped their authority to drive home the advantage in the first Test against the West Indies. After bowling out the hosts for 150, all India required was a strong start and Rohit and Jaiswal provided just that. India were 80 for no loss at the close of play on Day 1 at Windsor Park in Dominica.
Such was the dominant display of Rohit and Jaiswal that the experts started to harbour hopes of an innings victory. Former India cricketers Saba Karim and Pragyan Ojha said India should aim to bat only once in this Test match and then bowl West Indies out cheaply in the second innings to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
In order to do that, India need to first go past West Indies' total and then put up a big first innings total. While there is little doubt about the former, the latter may take some doing, especially for an Indian batting unit that has not been at its best of late in red-ball cricket.
Much of the onus will once again be on the openers Rohit and Jaiswal. The good thing about this pair is that both of the score quickly. Veteran India fast bowler Ishant Sharma, in fact, believes there is a good opportunity for both of them to score a century.
“Rohit Sharma (30 batting) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (40 batting) will look to be guarded in their approach in the first hour. They will say to themselves that it’s ok even if we don’t score runs, because we already have a strong base. They will try to score the remaining 70 runs by taking their time because there’s still a lot of time in this game," Ishant said on Jio Cinema.
‘Great opportunity for Jaiswal to score a hundred on debut’: Ishant Sharma
The veteran of 105 Tests said Jaiswal should target a century. “He now has a platform to build on. He should first try to reach his fifty and then gradually build his innings. It’s a great opportunity for him to target a century.”
India have a rich history of left-handers scoring a century on Test debut. The list includes Sourav Ganguly, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan. Jaiswal will resume his innings at 40 on Day 2
“As the day advances, the wicket will also deteriorate. So, from the position they are in, India would look at a lead of 300 runs so that they don’t have to bat in the second innings,” said Ishant.
Ishant believes the West Indies can still fight back if they are focussed. “For the West Indies, the first session will be crucial. Even if they are not able to get wickets in the first hour, they should try to stay in the game by curtailing the run rate. India are 80 without loss just now but the hosts will realise that if they give away only about 20 runs or so in the first hour, they could also be in a good position to take wickets after that. From there, they can bank on the pitch to help their spinners.”Great
