Day 1 of the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam on Friday, February 2, saw Yashashvi Jaiswal score his second hundred in a Test match and his first at home, demonstrating to the world that he is a quick learner. On a sweltering and muggy day in the coastal city of Andra Pradesh, Jaiswal reached his century in just 151 balls during the second session with a brilliantly controlled knock.
In the first innings of the first Test match in Hyderabad last week, three Indian batsmen—including Yashasvi Jaiswal—passed the 50-run mark, but none of them went on to score a significant hundred. Head coach Rahul Dravid blamed this, as the hosts suffered a shocking defeat in the opening game of the series to England. India scored 436 runs in the first innings to take a 190-run lead, however many people felt that India might have continued and scored more runs.
However, in Visakhapatnam, the first Indian batter who went past fifty made sure he got to the three-figure mark. Yashasvi Jaiswal flaunted his ability to bat at multiple gears as he was not as aggressive he was in Hyderabad at the start of the Indian innings in Vizag. After Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat, both the Indian openers took their time to blunt the new-ball attack of England, who opened the bowling with James Anderson and Joe Root.
Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first Indian opener to get a century at home against England since Rohit Sharma in 2021, and he became the 15th overall. In achieving the feat, Yashavi joined an exclusive group of batters that included Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and Murali Vijay. Yashavi completed the wait for a home Test century on Friday after scoring his first century in the West Indies last year.
Only towards the close of the opening session, when he tore into newcomer Shoaib Bashir—who had taken the significant wicket of Rohit Sharma—did Yashasvi display genuine aggression. In the penultimate over of the first session, Yashasvi reached his fifty by hitting a boundary and a six. In the first session, England bowled 31 overs and claimed two wickets, including Shubman Gill, who misplayed a start and was caught by James Anderson, while Yashasvi appeared calm and collected.
