Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his impressive form, remaining unbeaten on 173 at the end of the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. India ended the day in a commanding position at 318 for 2. This followed his strong start to his Test career earlier this year.
Jaiswal's innings was characterized by "controlled aggression and perseverance," featuring 22 boundaries. He built a significant 193-run partnership with Sai Sudharsan, who contributed 87 runs. After India chose to bat first, Jaiswal adopted a cautious approach initially, before accelerating and reaching his half-century off 82 deliveries. He then scored his next 50 runs off just 63 balls, reaching his seventh Test century.
Several cricket experts and former players have commented on Jaiswal's performance and potential in the second Test. Former India batter Mohammad Kaif suggested that Jaiswal could score a triple century. Anil Kumble also believes Jaiswal has a "great opportunity" to reach the 300-run mark, emphasizing Jaiswal's tendency to convert starts into significant scores. Kumble noted that Jaiswal doesn't waste opportunities and "makes it count". He also highlighted Jaiswal's consistency in producing big hundreds, with five of his seven centuries being scores over 150.
If Jaiswal were to reach a triple century, he would join Virender Sehwag and Karun Nair as the only Indian batsmen to achieve this feat in Test cricket.
Looking ahead to the second day, the conditions appear favorable for Jaiswal to continue his innings. According to Kaif, the pitch is conducive to batting, with minimal turn and limited assistance for the bowlers. Kumble has encouraged Jaiswal to aim for a double century, or even a triple century.
Jaiswal has already surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record of most 150-plus scores in Tests before the age of 23. He also became only the fourth opener after Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, and Graeme Smith to register seven hundreds in Tests before turning 24.
India is aiming for a series clean sweep in this two-match series.
