Yashasvi stands tall amidst ruins

India are in dire straits on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England, something which was least expected after the highs of winning the previous match by 434 runs. As the grand old men said, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. On Saturday, England’s first innings folded up for 353. After Joe Root had set up the visitors with a painstaking effort of 122, Ollie Robinson proved his worth by scoring 58 runs.

That England could score freely was a clear sign this Indian attack has looked brilliant on one day and pedestrian the other day. It required the skills of Ravindra Jadeja to wipe out the English tail, as he grabbed four wickets for 67 runs. His long spells were proof, he can keep going, and not complain. To bowl 32.5 overs was nice. However, the question which confronts cricket fans is whether skipper Rohit Sharma under-bowled Kuldeep Yadav on Friday.

Indeed, when India had to start their reply, there was hope and hype the top order would do well, like in the third Test. Sadly, Rohit Sharma flopped, something which hurts. In contrast, the other opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal once again showed he is in the form of his life.

In a series where Yashasvi has been almost authoritarian and arrogant, his essay was defining. What his valuable 73 runs scored meant was here is an Indian batter who does not mind what the conditions are or if there are a few bowlers imparting spin.

England were well served by tweakers Shoaib Bashir, who bowled his heart out and was backed up well by Tom Hartley. To say there was venom in the track would be an exaggeration as Yashasvi Jaiswal was tackling the spin with a touch of class. This was not a dour innings, for, he is a stroke-maker, with the left-handed elegance also an essential ingredient.

Quite often, Indian batters have been referred to as good players of spin. But then, over the years, there has been a sense of taking things for granted. Jaiswal can bat against spin and Rohit also did the same in the previous Test.

However, for Rajat Patidar to fail again is alarming. It shows he has not grabbed the chances at all, and failing for the third Test in a row is something crazy. He may have been dropped even in this Test but KL Rahul was unfit.

Sadly for India, the kind of application which Yashasvi showed was missing from many more batters. Jadeja should have stayed at the crease, but his reckless shot against Bashir spelt doom.

Indeed, all eyes now are on wicket-keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel. He replaced KS Bharat on two counts, fresher keeping skills and his runs in first class cricket. At stumps, India were trailing by 134 runs. The good part, Jurel is at the crease on 30. He is aware this is a big chance for him to score many more runs as India are down to 219 for 7. Kuldeep is also turning out to be a gritty batter but such a situation should not have come around for India in the first place.

Agreed, there have been crazy moments in this series where form has fluctuated for most players, barring Yashasvi Jaiswal. The boy from the maidans of Mumbai has batted well against pace and spin. What sets him apart is his body language and willingness to shoulder pressure. He has already crossed 600 runs in this series, which makes him stand taller than the others.

There are lessons for seniors as well to learn from this boy as India have decided youngsters are going to be the way forward in Test cricket. Someone like Shreyas Iyer, dropped by the selectors, has said no to Ranji Trophy cricket and is busy with promo ad shoots for the IPL. He is the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders.

India does not need players who are selfish. At the same time, a player like Ishan Kishan is also playing hide and seek with the BCCI. He is also guilty of skipping Ranji cricket and preparing for the IPL in Vadodara.

Looking ahead, India needs dedicated cricketers. The template of Yashasvi needs to be copied, as his performances have been simply scintillating.