IND vs ENG, third Test: ‘Let Yashasvi Jaiswal play,’ says Rohit; lauds India’s ‘commendable’ victory towards England

Rohit Sharma was reserved in his reward for younger opener Yashasvi Jaiswal however stated his scintillating run augurs effectively for the way forward for Indian cricket.

Jaiswal scored an excellent 214 not out to headline India’s report 434-run win towards England on the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, on Sunday. This was India’s largest win ever by a margin of runs.

“ Yashasvi Jaiswal ke baare mai kuch nahi bolunga, usko khelne do (Won’t say much about Jaiswal. Let him play). Everyone’s talking about him now. He is playing well. He is in good form. It’s good for us (smiles),” Rohit stated in a media interplay.

India grew to become the second facet to win back-to-back Tests towards England in the course of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes period after Australia gained the Birmingham and the Lord’s Ashes in June–July 2023.

Rohit stated the best way India bounced again after being three down for 33 was commendable.

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“When you play Test cricket, it’s not performed over two or three days. We know the significance of staying within the recreation for 5 days. They put us below strain; we’ve received class in our squad with regards to bowling.

“The message was to remain calm; it’s straightforward to float away from what you need to do. I’m pleased with how we got here again, and when that occurs, it’s a delight to look at.

“It was a good toss to win; we know how important it is in India to win (the toss) and get runs on the board. After that onslaught from the England batters, the bowlers showed a lot of character.

We knew the job was half done; in the second innings, we wanted to come out and bat and get the lead we wanted.”

Advantage of Jadeja’s expertise

Ravindra Jadeja took 5 wickets within the fourth innings to go along with his century within the first innings, which he scored after being promoted to No. 5. Rohit defined the rationale behind the decision.

“For this game, we thought Jadeja had so much experience, he’s scored a lot of runs of late.

“We always wanted that left-right batting, we know the quality Sarfaraz (Khan) brings, and we wanted to give him time before he comes into bat—we saw what he did while batting.

We don’t have any long-term plans with the batting order; we just go with the flow and depending on the bowling composition of the opposition. Jadeja, of course, is the hometown boy, he knows these conditions better than anyone else.”

England batted for a complete of 111 overs within the match and was responsible of shedding wickets in a flurry in each innings. Rohit stated he didn’t count on the match to recover from inside 4 days.

“To be honest, I expected the game into the fifth day. It wasn’t so much about the number of runs we scored but the amount of time we could give to our bowlers to get those 10 England wickets. I felt 130 odd overs were enough… But I certainly didn’t expect such an early finish.”

Asked if the Test win in Rajkot is likely one of the most satisfying victories as captain, Rohit stated: “Both wins (Visakhapatnam and Rajkot) are special. Even in Vizag, the game was hanging in balance when they came out to bat in the fourth innings.

“When there isn’t much happening on the pitch, even one partnership can take the game away from you. But, having said that, any Test win, anywhere in the world, is special because you have to work hard for four to five days to come out on top.

“In the context of this series, the Vizag victory was also important because we were 0-1 down.. and in both games, we were able to execute our plans with the bat, ball and on the field.”

Importance of character and Sarfaraz Khan’s debut

Rohit additionally praised R. Ashwin, who needed to go away the Test match halfway attributable to a private emergency. The offspinner, nevertheless, returned to be with the facet on Sunday and even bowled a number of overs within the fourth innings.

“It is never easy to lose your main bowler, that too, in the middle of a Test match. But family comes first. When we heard the news, there were no second thoughts at all. It was up to Ashwin to do what he felt was right and, he absolutely did the right thing by choosing to be with his family.

“Good on him to return to Rajkot and be part of the team today, (it) shows the kind of character he is. We were happy to have him back,” Rohit stated.

Sarfaraz Khan, one of many two debutants on this Test match, hit two fifties and was instrumental in India setting a mammoth whole. Rohit is impressed with Sarfaraz’s strategy.

“I have not watched Sarfaraz Khan bat a lot. He has scored heavily for Mumbai, in difficult situations, on the domestic circuit for the last four to five years now—not just hundreds but double and triple hundreds. That tells you something about his mindset,” he stated.

“He is hungry to score. He is doing something right to be this consistent. Mumbai players tell me it’s best to let Sarfaraz be, and he will do the job for you.

“Even in this Test, he was quite emotional during the cap presentation, but once that was out of the way, he was very focused and wanted to contribute to the team’s success with his batting, fielding, and just his overall energy.”