Legendary Indian batter and former captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed confidence in the young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's ability to excel in the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa.
Jaiswal had made his Test debut against the West Indies in July and marked it with a century in his maiden Test. Jaiswal had a huge impact by scoring 266 runs in two matches at an impressive average of 88.66.
Gavaskar praised Jaiswal for his batting style, highlighting that the left-handed batter has a skill for playing the ball 'very late' and adopts a patient approach before attempting ambitious shots.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “Yes, it's going to be a test for him. But I do believe he can thrive in these conditions too. What I have seen of him in Test matches is that he plays the ball very late, his head is very and still, he gets into the line quite nicely.”
The commentator continued, “He is not looking to rush at the ball. He plays it very late, he loves to give himself time in the middle. He is a good player of the short ball, he is not afraid to play the pull shot. I think, when the Kookaburra ball is used in places like South Africa and Australia, the first 12 overs are important, because the ball does nothing after that.”
Gavaskar signed off by saying, “If you survive 12 overs, then nobody can get you out if you are a good batter. So that's what Yashasvi has to say to himself. If you can be alright for the first 10-12 overs, you can make big runs.”
Notably, India and South Africa will take each other in the first Test from December 26 onwards at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
(With Star Sports/PTI Inputs)
