Ranchi: Yashasvi Jaiswal, the prodigious southpaw, became only the fifth Indian batter to score 600 or more runs in a Test series, as he compiled 73 on the second day of the fourth Test against England at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.
Jaiswal soared past the 600-run mark in a mere seven innings across four Tests. The young sensation has so far amassed a staggering 618 runs in this series against England, boasting an impressive average of 103 and a formidable strike rate of 78.32, hitting two centuries and two half-centuries.
Jaiswal joined an illustrious league of Indian legends that includes Sunil Gavaskar (1971, 1978), Virat Kohli (2014, 2016, 2017), Dilip Sardesai (1971), and Rahul Dravid (2002), who have previously breached the 600-run mark in a Test series. With the tantalizing prospect of surpassing Gavaskar’s legendary record of 774 runs against West Indies in 1971, Jaiswal stands on the brink of rewriting the history books, a mere 156 runs away from etching his name in cricketing folklore.
On the second day of the Ranchi Test, Jaiswal showcased his audacious stroke play by eclipsing Virender Sehwag’s record for the most Test sixes by an Indian batter in a calendar year, unleashing an impressive tally of 23 sixes in just five matches in 2024. He is just 66 runs shy of the illustrious 1000-run milestone in Test cricket, having scored 934 runs at an average of 71.84.
Jaiswal now finds himself in the esteemed company of cricketing luminaries such as Sir Don Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Graeme Smith, George Headley and Neil Harvey, who have all amassed over 600 runs in a Test series before turning 23.
(IANS)
