NEW DELHI: With the new ball in his hand, Australian speedster and ‘smiling assassin’ Mitchell Starc made a habit of scripting euphoric starts whenever he faced India’s young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the opening Test in Perth, Starc unleashed his fiery pace, dismissing Yashasvi for a duck to mark the latter’s introduction to Test cricket in Australia.
However, Jaiswal responded in the second innings with a brilliant century, helping India to a commanding 295-run victory and a 1-0 series lead.
The day-night Test in Adelaide proved to be a nightmare for Jaiswal. On the very first ball of the match, Starc angled an in-swinging delivery that trapped the left-hander, leaving him visibly dejected.
Yashasvi’s struggles continued when Starc claimed his wicket for the third time in the series.
Attempting a flick, Yashasvi ended up giving a straightforward catch to Mitchell Marsh at short midwicket. Starc celebrated with a trademark send-off, sticking his tongue out and flashing a wry smile.
The young Indian batter’s difficulties against left-arm pace became a major talking point, with Starc establishing dominance.
But Yashasvi was not one to back down.
Determined to bounce back, he returned to the pavilion, analysed his dismissals with the help of video analysts, coaches, and the captain. He resolved to overcome the Starc challenge and redeem himself in the fourth Test at Melbourne.
Yashasvi’s childhood coach Jwala Singh detailed how the 23-year-old turned his struggles into success.
“Yashasvi was upset when he kept getting out to Starc on multiple occasions. He watched his videos. He watched his videos and prepared accordingly,” Jwala told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“Whenever challenges come, Yashasvi sits back, thinks, and opts for video analysis. He watches the bowlers’ videos closely and tries to apply his strategies on the field accordingly. That is his character, and that’s how he bounced back at the MCG,” he added.
In the fourth Test, Yashasvi displayed remarkable maturity against Starc, even enduring persistent sledging from Sam Konstas at silly point.
Despite the distractions, Yashasvi delivered two resilient knocks, scoring 82 in the first innings and 84 in the second.
Jwala Singh believes the Australian tour will make Jaiswal a better player.
“Tours like Australia or England make you a mature cricketer. If you perform well in these conditions, the way Yashasvi did, you can handle any conditions in the world. The confidence you gain by performing in these conditions is on another level,” Jwala said.
“The crowd, booing, chants, atmosphere, pitches, and world-class bowlers — I mean, you automatically become more mature,” the coach added.
