Yashasvi, the new crown prince after a spot in ICC Test team of the Year

Has Yashasvi Jaiswal overtaken the other bigger names to be the crown prince among young Indian batters? Last year’s figures speak for themselves as the 22-year-old has found a place in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year 2024 named on Friday – providing a silver lining after India’s back-to-back Test series defeats.

The elite XI, shortlisted by the ICC as an annual ritual, has two more Indians in the peerless Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. Both the senior players have been there and done that in all formats of the game, but Yashasvi can take some pride for having forced himself in the list after making his debut in this format against the West Indies only in 2023.

 ‘’Yashasvi has not put a foot wrong, he has taken to Test cricket like a fish to water,’’ remarked Ravi Ashwin, the retired off spin great in January last year when the youngster was playing his fifth Test at home against England. It was only the beginning of a dream year for him as Yashasvi finished as the second highest scorer of 2024 in the five-day format with 1478 runs from 15 Tests with an average of 54.74 and a strike rate of almost 70. Joe Root, the former England captain, tops the list with 1556 runs from 17 matches.

There have been three centuries and nine fifties, which included two double centuries against England and a gamechanging 161 against Australia in Perth. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which marred many a big reputations, saw Yashasvi create a niche for himself to be the topscorer among the visitors with 391 runs. A validation of his efforts on most venues with true bounce and carry came when Cricket Australia had earlier named him in their Test Team of the Year.

What has been particularly heartening about Yashasvi’s approach to his craft is that while he is hungry to convert his starts into big scores, he is also not averse to risk-taking – having hit a record 36 sixes across formats during the year. How can a modern Test batter look to balance the two aspects of Test batting? Speaking to National Herald over phone, Jwala Singh – the childhood coach and mentor of Yashasvi explained the mindset of his protege: ‘’He is a batter who is always looking to put pressure on the bowlers. In today’s Test cricket, the idea is not to just hold fort but to pressurise them to bowl loose deliveries and he is a believer in that philosophy.’’

There have been the odd occasion when Yashasvi has succumbed due to the sudden rush of blood, and the onus is on him and Gautam Gambhir & Co to keep his feet on the ground. ‘’Being named in the ICC selection after playing 19 Tests is an ample testimony that he is on the right track. He has the hunger for big runs and knows only too well that’s the only way to survive in the hugely competitive Indian cricket as well as Mumbai,’’ said Jwala, who had groomed a young Yashasvi by letting him be a part of his family for almost nine years.

 Incidentally, the other prominent scorers for India in Tests during 2024 were Shubman Gill (866 runs in 12 matches), Rohit Sharma (619 in 14) and Rishabh Pant (576 in 9).

Meanwhile, Bumrah had only gone from strength to strength last year and picked up 71 wickets from 13 matches so far. Jadeja, who called time in T20 cricket after the T20 World Cup triumph last June - ended 2024 with 48 wickets and 527 runs from 12 matches. Bumrah has also been nominated for two other ICC awards - the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year and chances are he may rewarded with both.

 ICC Test team of 2024: Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND), Ben Duckett (ENG), Kane Williamson (NZ), Joe Root (ENG), Harry Brook (ENG), Kamindu Mendis (SRI), Jamie Smith (ENG) (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja (IND), Pat Cummins (AUS) (captain), Matt Henry (NZ), Jasprit Bumrah (IND).