During his second double-century in Rajkot, Jaiswal cleared the ropes on 12 occasions, the joint-most in a Test innings.
The year is 2020. Yashasvi Jaiswal has just impressed in the Under-19 World Cup, landing him a deal with Rajasthan Royals. Deepak Chahar bowls a well-directed short ball, and Jaiswal pulls it ferociously in his debut game.
All he manages is a top edge, and the ball only has height but no legs to travel even outside the pitch as Jaiswal loses his shape and is not in an ideal position to pull it. Deepak Chahar sprints and completes the catch.
Come back to the present day. James Anderson, among the greatest Test bowlers, bowls a short delivery to Yashasvi Jaiswal. The batter waits for it off the back foot and pulls it wholeheartedly over deep square leg for a maximum. It wasn’t an easy shot by any means, even if there was no fielder in that region.
Now, a couple of things to note on this shot. Jaiswal picked the length quickly and set himself for the shot. Secondly, Jaiswal, despite using all his power, didn’t lose his shape at all, and his bat swing was rapid, and his body went towards that shot in a motion.
Anderson didn’t bowl it quickly; the speedometer read 124 km/hr. So Jaiswal had to force more from his end since he couldn’t use the bowler’s pace and had to impart additional power. His stable base, steady head position, and ability to get on top of the bounce helped him not only generate enough power but also use the angle of the delivery precisely.
Later in the game, Jaiswal hit three consecutive sixes off Anderson after resuming his innings the next day. The first one came via a sweep off a low full toss. Jaiswal used his wrists beautifully to guide the ball to an appropriate area.
𝙃𝙖𝙩-𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙄𝙓𝙀𝙎! 🔥 🔥
Yashasvi Jaiswal is smacking ’em all around the park! 💥💥💥
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/FM0hVG5pje#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ybj_19 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/OjJjt8bOsx
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2024
After this delivery, Jaiswal powered one over extra cover effortlessly for a maximum. While the timing of this shot was appreciable, Jaiswal’s power to clear a relatively long boundary while stepping out was noticeable. It’s never easy to hit sixes over covers, and Jaiswal had done it with full control while stepping out.
On the next delivery, Jaiswal waited for a length delivery and muscled it over the bowler’s head. It looked as if he used all his power, but Yashasvi still managed to keep his shape and position it in the safest zone possible. Jaiswal was treating Anderson like a tweaker, and make no mistake, the shots he played off Anderson were arduous to play, even against spinners.
Also Read: “Let’s take a risk”: India star reveals ‘calculative’ strategy to drive up his price in IPL
During his second double-century in Rajkot, Jaiswal cleared the ropes on 12 occasions, the joint-most in a Test innings. He had played all difficult shots for his maximums – sweep, aerial drive over cover and a flat batted slap straight down the ground.
“Where’s that power coming from?” asked Rohit to Jaiswal during the IPL. He was not the only one astonished by a sudden change in Yashasvi’s leg-side and down the ground hitting. From playing a pull shot with no eyes on the ball and a falling head to picking his spots to dispatch balls, Jaiswal has come a long way.
Jaiswal trained with Zubin Bharucha, the High-Performance Director at Rajasthan Royals, in the Royals camp. Zubin deployed baseball mechanics to work on Jaiswal’s elbow, which bent while playing the shots.
His elbow is definitely not bending enough now, as visible from his third six over James Anderson’s head. Last year, Jaiswal played a pull shot off Marcus Stoinis, and his elbow was slightly more bent then. Hence, he couldn’t time it properly or impart enough power but still managed to clear the short boundary.
A leap of joy to celebrate his second century of the series 🙌
Well played, Yashasvi Jaiswal 👏👏#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ybj_19 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pdlPhn5e3N
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2024
The progress with each game is palpable. Jaiswal’s muscle memory has grown significantly after the hours he put in his practice. He is ready for all kinds of lengths, as visible from his three consecutive sixes off Anderson.
“We have eliminated that aspect and hence the power generation has been considerable. We asked him to do 200 lobs every day. Lobs means using bats and balls of different weights and sizes to hit every ball to 100 meters,” said Zubin.
Jaiswal can pull anything even lightly short with his improved hitting. Initially, Jaiswal used to have a straight bat swing, as seen in his dismissal in his maiden IPL game. But he now brings it down with a wider angle, helping him to provide more bat face on the ball, especially on the leg side.
Quinton de Kock is one such player who does it brilliantly. Fakhar Zaman as well.
‘Timing’ was among the most commonly used words during Jaiswal’s assault. Jaiswal could time them crisply due to the position of his willow during the point of contact, mostly on shorter-length deliveries. While he waits and delays his shot as much as possible, Jaiswal also manages to hold his shape as well as the shape of his bat to make sure most of his power is exhausted in his shots only.
That last six off Anderson had the shades of it. Liam Livingstone specialises in it. It’s just that he has better hand-eye coordination and uses more body in his shots.
In Jaiswal’s case, it’s not only about short balls; he generates equal power for every length.
Another crucial aspect to note is how Jaiswal leans forward and throws his weight into his shots, especially on the fuller lengths. That second six illustrated it beautifully. Jaiswal shuffled down and completely leaned towards his shot. Hence, despite the bat twisting during the shot, Jaiswal managed to clear the boundary.
Jaiswal is the kind of batter who looks to be pre-meditating his shots and still leaves himself open to change. A large of it is possible due to his expertise in reading the lengths quickly. Further, he nails his areas precisely according to the line and length of the ball.
All of that is possible due to his vast repertoire of shots, most of which he has developed in the last few years. Further, Jaiswal is confident in his batting and has so much clarity at such a young age. As it should be, provided the superior skillsets he possesses.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
