R Ashwin's honest assessment of Yashasvi Jaiswal taking over KL Rahul's India Test role: 'He is not an innocent guy...'
Ravichandran Ashwin, who has witnessed Jaiswal's growth from close quarters - IPL to the Indian team, shared his opinion on the young opening batter.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, and he has had a brilliant start to his Test career. It's been a year, and the left-handed opener has already cemented his place in the Test set-up with consistent performances series after series. He has announced his arrival on the big stage with a 171-run knock against West Indies on his debut. Meanwhile, it was the 2024 England Test series where Jaiswal made a big name for himself with record-breaking performances. He slammed 712 runs in five Tests and entered the top 10 of the ICC rankings.
Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has witnessed Jaiswal's growth from close quarters - IPL to the Indian team, shared his opinion on the young opening batter.
"Yashasvi Jaiswal is not an innocent guy. He will keep on looking. I am telling you, he is not a lazy person. He is a small boy. He will do a lot of work. Leave him. We will take care of him another day," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The 38-year-old also praised Jaiswal's impressive fifty in the first innings of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh.
"Even Jaiswal played well in the first innings. When we were in trouble, a 50 partnership came about. It was a crucial partnership. He is easily the most improved slip fielder. There is no doubt," he added.
Jaiswal also impressed many with his fielding as he grabbed some crucial catches, including a stunning low catch at the slip of Zakir Hasan in second innings during the Chennai Test.
Yashasvi Jaiswal himself volunteers and stands up
The 22-year-old has also impressed Ashwin with his work in the slip, as the senior spinner feels that Jaiswal took no time to replace KL Rahul in the second slip.
"KL Rahul is an amazing fielder in second slip. And he (Jaiswal) was able to replace him in the second slip. So, according to me, they worked very hard," he added.
Ashwin credited India fielding coach T Dilip for working hard with Jaiswal, who also volunteered to work on his close-in catching.
“The close-in catching, in places like short-leg, is a very difficult thing. You don't get good fielders like this. Jaiswal himself volunteers and stands up. He also does head-to-head work. So, all in all, we didn't get to see Dilip Sir's name not getting mentioned more prominently,” said Ashwin.
