Former England cricketer Michael Atherton reviewed the Day 1 play between India and England in Hyderabad, praising Yashasvi Jaiswal for his outstanding batting performance in the last session of the day. The Men In Blue look well-placed on the first test and would be eager to extend their lead on the second day.
Rohit Sharma-led side dominated England on the first day of the first Test match in Hyderabad on Thursday. After bowling out Ben Stokes’s team for 246 runs, India took control of the final session of the day, thanks to teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brilliant batting. Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 76 off just 70 balls, helping India score 119 runs in 23 overs for the loss of one wicket. Jaiswal was particularly harsh on debutant spinner Tom Hartley, smashing him for a six on the very first delivery of his Test career.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Michael Atherton believes that England had a tough first day, especially after Yashasvi Jaiswal tormented their spinners from the beginning of the third session, and that the Indian openers made a conscious effort to face the debutant on the first day.
“It was a great day of cricket. It was a tough day for England, they definitely came off second best today, in particular, because of what happened right at the end of the day when the young lad Jaiswal really played aggressively.
“He really got stuck into Tom Hartley on debut, an inexperienced player, but it was a definite attempt to get after Hartley on debut,” Michael Atherton said.
Following his success in the IPL and domestic cricket, Jaiswal was swiftly promoted to the Indian Test team, and he did not disappoint. He astonished the cricket world by making a century (171) on his Test debut against the West Indies, then impressed everyone with a magnificent fifty in his debut home test. He is expected to be a crucial player for the team during the upcoming series in India.
Yashasvi Jaiswal Siezed The Moment, Putting England On The Back Foot – Michael Atherton
Michael Atherton has praised Jaiswal for his confident approach towards the game. Despite playing against England spinners on conditions that slightly favoured them, Jaiswal played with a lot of authority and didn’t make Tom Hartley’s debut in international cricket look easy on the opening day.
“Jaiswal, England supporters, and bowlers won’t have seen as much of him. They got a look at him today and he looks like a really confident young lad. He played with real confidence and poise today and just took the game on.
“Seizing the moment, and putting England on the back foot. Stokes would have loved for Hartley to ease his way in on debut but Jaiswal had other ideas,” Michael Atherton added.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley had a bad day to remember on his debut as Jaiswal hit two sixes in his first over in Test cricket.
Despite some inconsistent lengths and some freebies for the Indian batters, England skipper Ben Stokes stuck with the debutant, who went for 63 runs in nine wicketless overs and the youngster would look to turn things around from the team on Day 2 of the opening test in Hyderabad.
