NEW DELHI: In the IPL and T20Is, Yashasvi Jaiswal has built his reputation by playing 360-degree shots. But in Test cricket, he plays in stark contrast to his aggressive nature — biding his time, and striking only when the opportunity arises.On Friday, the 23-year-old scored an exquisite hundred in the first innings of the Leeds Test. It was an innings of two halves: his first 50 came off 96 balls, while his second came in just 48. It marked his fifth Test ton and third against England. He joined the elite list of Vijay Manjrekar, Sourav Ganguly, Sandeep Patil, and Murali Vijay by scoring a century in his first outing in England. Jaiswal was dismissed for 101 on Day 1 of the first Test of the five-match series against England in Leeds.In Jaiswal’s case, cricket greats have often cited his “inherent hunger” and “desperation to succeed” — attributes rooted to his humble beginnings.
Jaiswal’s story is indeed inspiring. But Jos Buttler, his former Rajasthan Royals teammate, credits the youngster’s fearless approach for his excellence in both T20s and Test cricket.“It’s probably the mindset — the sort of attitude to risk is a lot — and he is very willing to take what may seem on the outside like a risk, but I don’t think players now see it as a risk. He plays a lot of different shots from ball one,” Buttler told TimesofIndia.com in an interaction during IPL 2025.Buttler, who has observed Jaiswal’s growth up close at the Rajasthan Royals, explained what makes the opener so special.“He has got excellent fundamental basics of the game as well. And I think that will never really change over time,” he shared.“We certainly do play in a time now where there are players who are more focused on being hitters of the cricket ball and sort of setting up their techniques for that.“But, you know, the basics sort of remain the same — being in a good solid base, having a good head position, everything working well together. I think the basics will always take care of where to start, and then you develop the rest of your game after that. So I think it’s important, in and around your practice, to make sure you have a bit of that.“And I think that’s what he does. Guys like Jaiswal are very successful in Test cricket as well as T20 cricket because their game is so strong,” he added.Buttler, the former England white-ball captain, had also posted a heartfelt message when Jaiswal took England to the cleaners during the home series in early 2024 — explaining why he enjoys Jaiswal’s batting, even if it comes against his own country.“Shame he’s doing it against England but v(very) hard not to be so happy for @yashasvijaiswal28. Getting everything he deserves from his talent, hunger and work ethic. WHAT A STAR!” Buttler had written in his Instagram story.Joe Root, who spent a season with Jaiswal at the Royals during IPL 2023, had also showered praise on the southpaw.“His ability to strike cleanly and blast the ball to all parts from ball one is impressive. But to be able to transfer skills to the Test format [means] he has got a very sound technique,” Root had said of Jaiswal.In the home series against England, Jaiswal had scored 712 runs in 2024. He then finished as India’s leading run-getter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, finishing with 391 runs, including a 161 in Perth and a couple of fifties in Melbourne. Now, on his first tour of England, he has opened his account with a century.
