After India registered a remarkable victory against England in the second Test, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal said that it was one of the best moments to win a match for the country and mentioned that they were focusing on their processes. With a 106-run win over England in the second match in Visakhapatnam, India levelled the five-match series by 1-1. Jaiswal played a pivotal role with the bat, scoring a double-century in the first innings and steering India to a total of 396.
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"Wonderful feeling, really enjoyed the game. One of the best moments to win a game for your country. We were just focusing on our process, focused on our fielding and I think it went well. There was a bit of crack and there was some seam movement, so it was a bit hard to play in the fourth innings," Jaiswal said in a post-match presentation.
Jaiswal stated that there were a few cracks and some seam movement as well. On the difference in his approach while playing red-ball and white-ball cricket, he said that in Test cricket, he tries to play till the end while in white-ball games, he went for it from the first ball and has an intent to score.
"It is very different, in these games I try to play till the end and in the white game I go for it from the first ball and have an intent to score," he added. (Bumrah Ball>Bazball: Fans React As Jasprit Bumrah Runs Havoc On England In 2nd Test)
The youngster felt that the way star pacer Jasprit Bumrah bowled incredibly well in Vizag. The Opener stated that his intent in the second innings was the same and he wanted to play out the new ball and build the innings.
Star pacer Bumrah finished the Visakhapatnam Test against England with nine wickets - 6 for 45 and 3 for 46 - to help India draw level at 1-1 in the series. The highlight of his performance was the yorker that swung into Ollie Pope and uprooted his middle and leg stumps in the first innings.
"The way Bumrah bowled was incredible, it was coming too fast at the slip cordon too. My intent was the same, I wanted to play out the new ball and build my innings," the opener said.
With the five-match series levelled at 1-1, the action now heads to Rajkot for the third Test, starting February 15.
India head coach Rahul Dravid on Monday opened up on Ishan Kishan's comeback and said that the 25-year-old needs to play some cricket to get included in the squad.
While speaking at the post-match press conference after India's 106-run win over England in the 2nd Test match, Dravid confirmed that the team management did not rule out Ishan from the squad.
The India head coach revealed that the wicketkeeper-batter asked for a break, and that's why the selectors did not include him in the squad for the first two Test matches against England. He added that it's the player's choice to decide when he is ready to make a comeback.
"There's a way back for anyone and everyone. It's not that we rule out anybody from anything. I just don't want to go on labouring about the Ishan Kishan point. I've tried to explain it as best as I can. The point was that, you know, he requested a break. We were happy to give him the break and whenever he was ready... I didn't say he has to play domestic cricket. I said, whenever he's ready he needs to play some cricket and come back, and the choice is his," Dravid said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
The former India skipper added that the team management is in touch with Ishan.
"We're not forcing him to do anything and we are in touch with him. It's not that we're not in touch. We know what it is, but he hasn't yet started playing, right? So, at the moment, it's not something that we would consider because, you know, he's maybe not ready. He decides when he wants to be ready and we've got options obviously with Rishabh [Pant] injured and stuff. So I'm sure the selectors will weigh all the options," Dravid added.
The last time Ishan played for India was in the T20I format against Australia in Guwahati, following that he failed to make his place in the first eleven. The 25-year-old was in the T20I squad in South Africa in December 2023 but did not take part in any of the three games.
Last year, he played the role of wicketkeeper on India's tour of the West Indies, but Ishan was not taken into consideration for the ongoing Test series against England. The youngster also did not take part in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
In the second Test match, brilliant bowling spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India overcome a fighting England as they levelled the series with a 106-run win over England in Visakhapatnam. The hosts have levelled the five-match series 1-1. (With ANI inputs)