'Yashasvi Jaiswal reminds of a young Tendulkar': Shastri's outpour ...

Following up on his double-century in the previous Test at Visakhapatnam, Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his glorious form when the India opener slammed the third Test hundred of his career. Jaiswal, leading the batting charge in India's second innings, notched up his second ton of the series, getting there off just 122 balls. That Yashasvi reached his second fifty off just 42 deliveries was another exhibition of the youngster 'Jaisballing' his way into the England attack and batting the opposition out of the game.

Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates his 2nd century of the series. (AFP)

Jaiswal and Shubman Gill added a 150-run partnership as India asserted their dominance on Day 3. In fact, when their stand had reached 141, Jaiswal had scored 92 in 84 balls, while Gill was Gill 45 off 92. During a certain passage of play, Jaiswal smacked three sixes and two fours in 8 balls and swelled India's lead. At stumps, India were brilliantly placed at 196/2 with a lead of 332, and Jaiswal, who had to retire hurt due to back spasms, will get a crack at England again on Sunday.

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Jaiswal, who was dismissed for two low scores in his last two innings – 17 and 15 – was determined to not let this opportunity go. Playing the first half of his innings with caution, Jaiswal really upped the ante post tea. The hundred makes Jaiswal the joint-seventh fastest batter to three Test centuries, sharing the feat with Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Manjrekar. But while Jaiswal's batting made most noise, the youngster was busy on the field as he took a sharp catch to dismiss Joe Root.

Jaiswal's versatility was so impressive that it reminded Ravi Shastri of Sachin Tendulkar in his formative years. Already compared to Don Bradman, that Shastri, India's former head coach and Tendulkar's ex-teammate, mentioned Jaiswal and the 'god of cricket' in the same sentence underlines how many big boxes the young opener is ticking with every big knock.

"Impressed with the way Jaiswal has stepped up today. Not just with the bat, but his performance on the field too. I think going forward, he could be one of Rohit's go-to part-time options. The ball would be in his hands – whether it's leg-spin, off-spin or medium-pace. Jaiswal reminds me of a young Tendulkar. Busy all the time. This is a classic example of the saying 'If you believe in yourself, there is hope'. Nothing is impossible. That's just a word. He will be constantly involved" Shastri said in commentary shortly after Jaiswal completed his ton.

Jaiswal's reflexes were in full swing as, position in the slips, he latched on to a reverse sweep from former England captain Root. Opting for his newly-found love for the reverse-sweep, Root went unorthodox to Bumrah but found Jaiswal. Shastri was in awe of that catch as in the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the slip cordon looks depleted, and while Shubman Gill has emerged as one of India's safest catchers in that area, the reliability of Jaiswal comes as a huge positive.

"It was an outstanding catch. That ball was flying. He had to be concentrating in the slips. It's a different angle, it's not the outside edge. You've got to be involved. Look at it. Makes it look easy. He has already taken a couple of fabulous catches in this series. I saw his talent in South Africa where he took some terrific catches in the slip cordon," Shastri said.

Jaiswal's desperation to succeed is reaping wonderful results. His story of rising from the maidaans of Mumbai to representing India at the world stage has already become the stuff of legends, but Shastri refreshed everyone's memory on air. "He lived in the maidaans, literally. Did part-time word there and then to come out and reach where he has, it’s an unbelievable story. And it's tales like these that define the beauty of cricket," he added.