NEWS
Follow UsYashasvi Jaiswal heaped heavy praise on skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid after his career-defining Test series against England. The left-handed opener amassed 712 runs at an average of almost 90, including two sensational double centuries, and helped India win the five-match series 4-1.
“It’s so good to have him (Rohit) there inside the dressing room. It has been great to play under him. There are a lot of moments which I don’t want to disclose at the moment. Let it be with me. The way he backed players throughout this journey, the way he talks, the way he bats. Whatever happens, he will be there to stand by you. I think it’s incredible to see that in your leader. I will keep learning from him,” Jaiswal told the Indian Express.
The youngster even shared an incident where he was trying to play a square drive against Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root but Rohit walked up to him and asked Jaiswal to hit them down the ground. Jaiswal took the advice and slammed Bashir for three fours in an over.
“He came and told me that in that moment that shot is not on, it will be better to hit straight. So I was trying to hit straight. I must tell you nothing misses his eyes. He knows everything. That is the biggest quality. He is aware of things and what is going on. Alag level hai, it’s so fun to be around him.”
Talking about Dravid, Jaiswal said: “Dravid sir keeps supporting us. He will walk in and keep talking to us. He will be asking ‘kya chal raha hai dimag mein (what is going in your mind)?’ He makes sure I can speak to him and get the right information for the game. He gives that spirit, he gives us that confidence that we will do it. He will tell us to enjoy the game, and be aware of the situation. I keep all these messages in my mind when batting.”
Jaiswal had a series to remember but the left-hander knows that’s already in the past and wants to focus on what’s next. “It’s a great feeling, I’m happy but I want to be more focused, so that I can do well for my team. I’m not thinking about anything today. I want to take one match at a time. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so I don’t want to think too much.
“I don’t take success and failure to my head. It’s an uncertain game. I enjoy the success and learn from it why it was good. When I fail, I try to learn what I can do to improve it.”
Jaiswal also spoke about slamming Jamses Anderson for three consecutive sixes in the third Test in Rajkot. “Those shots were in my mind. I knew I could hit him when I got set. It was in my mind that when I’m on top of my game, I will get him. Get him in the sense, not only him, but any bowler. If I’m going after someone, I will go hundred percent.”
