Pressure and pace: Tests of character that await Yashasvi Jaiswal

‌Nine Tests. 1028 runs. A ton on debut, two double tons to follow, an average of 68.53 and striking at over 70. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the textbook definition of a prodigy. His rise has been meteoric – nay, cinematic – and the story of his childhood struggles to go with an off-field shy persona, in complete juxtaposition to his explosive batting style, only adds to the enigma.

But there lies the caveat. On the flip side of the coin, the opener is markedly worse against pacers albeit with a small sample size. His average against seamers in Test cricket is a much more modest 39.40 and has succumbed to them nine times as compared to six times against spin. Even though this includes a disastrous tour of South Africa where the pitches were as good as strips of landmines, the IPL numbers confirm the speculation. Since 2021, Yashasvi has fallen victim to pacers 25 times in the tournament while only four times has a spinner managed to send him back to the pavilion.

The numbers alone still don’t tell the full story though, especially when you take the comparison aspect out of it. For instance, in the three Test series that Yashasvi has played so far, the top seven Indian batters have averaged a combined 38.64 against pace, with the opener averaging higher than his counterparts against both England and the West Indies. The problem begins when you dive deeper into Yashasvi’s youth career and track his unique trajectory to the top.

Since then, the youngster has played in the Caribbean, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Ireland across white and red-ball cricket, but neither of those places is known for being conducive to the pacers. Yashasvi’s inclusion in the T20I side before he made it to the Test arena and an ever-growing IPL schedule only exacerbated the issue, since it made him unavailable for some precious ‘A’ tours as well as the possibility of a County deal.

Now, while the sudden rise of Yashasvi means his lack of experience in SENA conditions is exceptionally rare, the general theme is all too common for openers in Asia. Growing up playing on either flat tracks or ones that rag like a corkscrew, young guns from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are all too often pushed directly into the heat of the battle where world beaters and home turf specialists await in alien seaming and swinging conditions. In the 21st century, 14 men have racked up 5,000 or more Test runs at the top of the order – only three of them are Asian, namely Virender Sehwag, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Tamim Iqbal. 

And it barely gets easier for the openers either. A significant stigma against spin bowling combined with the economic and power dynamics of international cricket means Asian players have to contend with such seam-friendly conditions disproportionately more. As of 18th September 2024, South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia had hosted a combined 499 Tests since the turn of the century, while only 373 Tests have taken place in Asia – a staggering difference of 126 encounters. Moreover, Bangladesh’s increasing affinity for preparing seam-friendly pitches, India’s tendency to resort to batting paradises, and Pakistan’s insistence on dead tracks crafted to force draws only make the situation worse for spin-dominant batters.

The nature of spin-bowling itself also plays a key role. More often than not, regardless of the conditions on offer, it is a pacer who takes the new ball in hand and gets to have at least some say in the matter. The same cannot be said for spinners, given they don’t come into action until later in the day, especially if the pitch is offering something significant to their faster counterparts. The fatality of the new-ball in pace-friendly conditions means inexperienced openers never get a chance to settle, as evidenced by Yashasvi’s Test outings in South Africa and two T20Is in Ireland – the opener averaged 12.50 and 21 respectively, while not facing a single ball of spin.

Nevertheless, it is almost a guarantee that the youngster will only reach new heights in the coming four home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Yet, ironically, it could prove to be his detriment, given arguably no Indian opener has previously gone overseas for a first significant tour with such high expectations already resting on his shoulders. At the tender age of 22, not only is Jaiswal a household name but a world-dominator in the biggest league in the world and a T20 World Cup winner – possibilities that were unfathomable in the days gone by.

Unsurprisingly, Yashasvi thus now belongs in the same bracket as some of cricket’s rarest talents across history, seemingly possessing the potential to be THE Test batter of his era. The youngster has already been templated as the next Virender Sehwag – a batter with 8,000 Test runs from over 100 caps and 23 tons to his name. It is no co-incidence that the Nawab of Najafgarh had exceptional numbers in SENA conditions – he averaged well over 40 in Oceania and a stellar 50.23 in South Africa. The opener conundrum that has plagued India across the past decade with the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Mayank Agarwal, Murali Vijay, and Shikhar Dhawan all struggling to stamp their authority consistently in SENA condition which culminated in short-lived careers, is proof enough that the ability to handle pace of all kinds is paramount to make it in the Test arena as a top-order batter -- and only time shall tell whether Yashasvi possess the minerals to match or maybe even exceed the great expectations.