After scoring 17, 5, and 0 runs in his last three innings during the tour, India A batter Yashasvi Jaiswal scored an excellent hundred in the second unofficial Test of India A against New Zealand A at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
Starting his innings at 20 overnight on Day 4, the left-handed opener completed his first-class hundred by smashing 11 boundaries and four sixes in 119 balls. He scored his century in style by clearing the boundary.
Jaiswal kept on playing aggressively in the game and scored 155 runs off 162 balls. He formed a partnership with Yash Rathod after the dismissal of Sai Sudharsan in the game.
With Rathod also bagging a 100, India A reached 282/2 in 52.4 overs, with the match ending in a draw.
After low scores of 17,5 & 0 in his last three inning on this tour in Unofficial tests against Nz A. Its good to see Jaiswal making a brilliant Hundred today at Hagley Oval. Good Signs for team India ahead of 2 match test series. https://t.co/MsSrxOWhQ4
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Jaiswal's hundred arrives at a significant juncture in his preparations for India's two-Test series against New Zealand starting from November 19.
The batter had found himself struggling for runs in the Test matches that were being held on an unofficial platform, where Jaiswal scored just 17 and 5 in the first match while registering a duck in his opening innings of the second Test.
India's batting lineup could face a tough time against the pitches that New Zealand offers, where there is usually some help for the seam bowlers with the new ball.
The aggressiveness in batting is one of the major strengths of Jaiswal when it comes to Test cricket, but he will need to find a fine line between aggressiveness and good shot selection in this match.
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His ton is sure to be a sigh of relief for Jaiswal himself and the Indian team management due to his struggles during his India A tour.
Although one single score cannot assure consistency, the way he batted and built up from there to make that ton is definitely an encouraging sign before the upcoming tough series against New Zealand.
The amount of time he spent batting and making a good innings is bound to make him more confident.
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Anselm Noronha is a writer with decades of experience. His bylines earlier appeared across various publications like GOAL and others. His expertise is diverse, writing compelling content across cricket, football and a variety of sports. He has also represented football clubs such as Sporting Clube de Goa and FC Goa in various capacities.
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