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Rajkot (Gujarat): Following a masive 434-run victory against England on Sunday at Rajkot, the left-hand batter Yashasvi Jaiswal asserted that his seniors advised him to play big whenever he gets set and the knocks from skipper Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings inspired him to score massive runs in the third Test at Niranjan Shah Stadium.
Jaiswal played an unbeaten knock of 214* runs which was laced by 14 fours and 12 sixes. He built an unbeaten partnership of 172 runs along with Sarfaraz Khan, who played an unbeaten knock of 68* runs with the help of six boundaries and three sixes. His knock played a crucial role in India's 434-run win over England in the Rajkot Test.
The 22-year-old spoke about the double century he scored in the second innings and also talked about the time when he went back to the dressing room after dealing with some back issues on day three.
"I am just trying to make it big whenever I'm set. In Test cricket you never know, I try to make sure I play as long as I can when I'm set. It was pretty difficult, initially, I was not getting runs so I had to play the session and play the bowler. Then when I got set I could score the runs. I had my plans about where I could play my shots and get runs. After some time, my back was not good. I did not want to go out but I had to go out because it was too much. When I came back I tried to give myself time and take it as deep as I can. I knew that if I was there I would take the game forward and be there till the end," Jaiswal said in the post-match interview.
He further stated that the way Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja played sessions by sessions inspired him to score big.
"I was feeling there was something in the wicket and the ball was very hard, I knew it was important for me to give the team a very good start, as we have seen it has a huge impact on the team. I feel like whenever I am set I need to make it big. As all my seniors have said, when you are set, make it big and make it count. The way Rohit (Sharma) bhai and Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai played in the first innings really inspired me. The way they played session by session was incredible, the way they put effort motivated all of us," the Southpaw added.
Coming to the match, the Three Lions while chasing 557 was bundled out for just 122 runs in 39.4, losing the match by 434 runs. Ravindra Jadeja took 5/41, while Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah took a wicket each.
Earlier, India secured a 556-run second innings lead, declaring their second innings at 430/4. Following skipper Rohit's early fall for just 19 runs, young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill steadied the ship for India with a 155-run partnership for second wicket, which ended after Jaiswal retired hurt for 104. India ended the day three at 196/2, with Gill (65*) and Kuldeep Yadav (3*).
On day four, Gill and Kuldeep continued to stitch yet another partnership, which ended with Gill heartbreakingly missing his fourth Test ton due to a run-out, scoring 91 in 151 balls, with nine fours and two sixes. Kuldeep also made a solid 27 in 91 balls, leaving India at 258/4. From this point on, Jaiswal resumed his innings with fellow Mumbai star Sarfaraz Khan. Both took the English spinners to cleaners.
Jaiswal scored his second double-century in Tests after scoring his first one in the last Test. A key highlight of his knock was smashing veteran pace legend James Anderson for a hat-trick of sixes. Sarfaraz also scored his back-to-back half-century on Test debut. India ended the innings at 430/4, with Jaiswal (214* in 236 balls, 14 fours and 12 sixes) and Sarfaraz (68* in 72 balls, with six fours and three sixes) unbeaten to form a 172-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Joe Root, Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed took a wicket each for England.
Earlier, England in their first inning scored 319 runs in reply to India's 445 runs in their first inning. Though Ben Duckett (153 in 151 balls, with 23 fours and two sixes) scored the fastest century by an English player in India, no other batter could give him much support. Skipper Stokes (41 in 89 balls, with six fours) and Pope (39 in 55 balls, with five fours and a six) played some decent knocks.
Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for India with 4/84, while Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin managed a scalp each, with the latter reaching his 500th Test wicket as well.
In the first innings, after opting to bat first, India put up 445. The hosts were rocked by England bowlers earlier and were struggling at 33/3. Then skipper Rohit stepped up, forming a 204-run stand with Jadeja. Rohit scored 131 runs in 196 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes. Jadeja went on to score his third Test ton and crafted a 77-run stand with debutant Sarfaraz (62 in 66 balls, with nine fours and a six). Useful scores from debutant Dhruv Jurel (46 in 104 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Ashwin (37 in 89 balls, with six fours) took India to a fine total.
Mark Wood justified his selection with figures of 4/114. Rehan got two wickets while Root, Hartley and Anderson got a wicket each.
Jadeja was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round performance in the Test match.
