Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan feels that young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was likely aware of his difficulties against left-arm pace bowling heading into the final ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. The southpaw had struggled during the preceding home Test series against the Proteas, being dismissed by left-arm seamer Marco Jansen in three of his four innings.
Jaiswal’s issues with that bowling style persisted in the first two ODIs, as both Jansen and Nandre Burger got the better of him. Yet, the 23-year-old finally overcame his challenges, scoring a match-winning century in the series decider. This marked Jaiswal’s maiden ODI hundred and guided India to a dominant nine-wicket victory while chasing 271 in under 40 overs.
Discussing Jaiswal’s persistent issues against left-arm pace, Zaheer said to Cricbuzz:
“Yashasvi clearly had a plan on how he’s going to tackle it (struggles vs left-arm pacers). These numbers we speak about but the batters don’t forget even more. So he was prepared that way. It’s good to see the top-order batter getting a hundred. Because that’s the culture you want if you want to be a consistent ODI side. The top 3 or 4 batters, when it’s your day, you have to make it count.”
He further added:
“So this century is going to go a long way for Yashasvi. Though you started the series with not many runs, if you are finishing strong, then it’ll definitely give you that uplift.”
Zaheer Khan Hails Kohli And Rohit For Masterclass In Series-Decider Win
Zaheer Khan praised Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their crucial roles in India’s win in the series-deciding match against South Africa. While chasing 271, Rohit got things going with a striking 75 off 73 balls. Kohli came in later when 116 runs were needed and delivered a rapid unbeaten 65 off just 45 balls.
“They were like ‘Been there, done that, here we go again’. It was only about getting your innings going, given their heaps of experience. It was just about getting into the mold again, and both these guys have done tremendously well in this series,” said Zaheer (via the aforementioned source).
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