"Yashasvi Jaiswal was adamant to smack.."- Rahul Dravid drops bombshell on coaching tenure

Former Team India head coach Rahul Dravid recently shared an interesting story about opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of his Test debut for the national cricket team. Dravid recalled that Jaiswal impressed him in challenging practice sessions against top pacers like Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

India are set to take on England in the first Test of the five-match series in Leeds, starting on Friday, June 20. The visiting team will be without senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul is the only experienced player in the batting lineup. Yashasvi Jaiswal has never played a Test in English conditions.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Made His Test Debut With a Century Against the West Indies

Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test debut with a century against the West Indies. He scored a record-breaking 700-plus runs series against England at home. Jaiswal was also a standout performer during India’s disappointing tour of Australia.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

The left-handed batter was the team’s top run-getter with 391 runs at an average of 43.44, including a top score of 161. India will be hoping for Jaiswal to repeat his Australia heroics in England.

The 23-year-old is expected to open with KL Rahul in the first Test match. Shubman Gill has only appeared in two matches in England. Sai Sudharsan, who can play at No. 3, is yet to make his debut.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Was Willing to Go Out There and Bat - Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was the head coach when Yashasvi Jaiswal was included as a standby player ahead of the WTC 2023 final. Jaiswal grabbed the attention of Dravid and the coaching staff during that tour. Dravid said that Jaiswal faced quality bowlers like Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

"Some of the practice pitches leading into the Test match were really spicy. It had been raining, and they were not well prepared. And he was willing to go out there and bat against whoever. Side-armers, Mohammed Shami or Mohammed Siraj or whoever," Dravid told ESPNcricinfo.

"He just wanted to bat in those conditions, which for me and our other coaches was, 'Wow, he wants to learn, he wants to improve. He wants to get better.' From the time that I saw him at Under-19 to then, just his range of shots had improved," he added.

They All Have the Ability to Adapt - Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid added that the best players know how to score and are prepared to do whatever is needed to keep the scoreboard ticking.

"They're all an ability to say I want to score runs, I like scoring runs, I know how to score runs, and I'll do whatever it takes to score runs. Sometimes bat aggressively, sometimes bat defensively, sometimes play from middle stump, sometimes play from outside leg stump. That's a really good trait," added Dravid.

India have not won a Test series in England since 2007 when Rahul Dravid led the side. They came close in 2021 under Virat Kohli’s leadership, but the series was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the final Test could be played. England won the rescheduled match in 2022 to level the series.

Also read: Not Virat Kohli-Babar Azam!! Cheteshwar Pujara picks this Pakistani better spin player than him