Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Virat Kohli: Imagine a 10-year-old child moving to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh alone with a dream to become an international cricketer. Most of us have spent our childhood in the comfort of our homes with our families taking care of us. However, Jaiswal was trying to make ends meet when it was time to enjoy his childhood.
He wouldn’t mind living in a tent, which had no electricity and offered little food. Jaiswal developed his hunger, passion, and perseverance during those times, and, today, the results are there for everyone to see. Jaiswal’s commitment to score big runs in Test cricket tells you how hungry he is to make a name for himself on the biggest stage. His journey so far in international cricket has been nothing short of a dream.
The Indian opener has played 17 Tests for India, thus far, in his international cricket career. He has scored 1596 runs at an average of 53.20. The numbers are nothing short of phenomenal.
Jaiswal began his international cricket career on the tour of the West Indies in 2023. He opened the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the first Test match and stitched a massive partnership of 229 runs for the opening wicket.
In his debut innings for India, he played a sensational knock of 171 runs off 387 balls, including 16 fours and 1 six. There wasn’t any lapse in concentration after smashing the hundred as he continued to reach 150 and kept on batting even after that. His very first innings highlighted his hunger to convert hundreds to double-hundreds and so on.
In his next innings, he scored another stellar knock of 57 runs in 74 balls and followed it up with 38 off 30. Jaiswal made a dream start to his Test career and, perhaps, cemented his spot in the longest format.
The next Test for Jaiswal was in South Africa as India played a two-match Test series against the Proteas. He found it hard to adjust in one of the toughest conditions to bat on. His scores in the series read: 17,5,0,28.
Jaiswal had a forgettable outing but he ensured the world got to see his true potential in his next outing. England, who were making headlines owing to their ‘Bazball’ approach, came to India to play a five-match Test series.
A hungry Jaiswal pounced on them like a Lion. He struck 80 off 74 and 15 off 35 in the first Test match, though India lost that Test match by 80 runs. Come the second Test match, Jaiswal ripped apart England’s bowling attack. Once again, he didn’t look satisfied despite scoring a century and went on to smash his maiden double-century. Jaiswal smashed 209 runs off 290 balls, helping India win the match by 106 runs.
Jaiswal followed this up with an unbeaten 214-run knock off 236 balls in the third Test match. In that series, the world saw a star in the making, named Yashasvi Jaiswal. He ended up scoring as many as 712 runs at an average of 89.
The 22-year-old continued his top form in the longest format. In the subsequent series against Bangladesh, he, once again, finished as the leading run-scorer with 189 runs to his name in two Tests at an average of 47.25. New Zealand then visited India to play a three-match Test series and, to everyone’s surprise, blanked India 3-0. Jaiswal also struggled to dominate with the bat as he could only manage to score a single half-century in six innings.
How Many runs Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored in his first 15 Tests?
Nevertheless, it has been a dream start for Yashasvi Jaiswal, so far, in his Test cricket career. The southpaw has scored 1568 runs in his first 15 Test matches at an outstanding average of 58.07.
Given the kind of start Yashasvi Jaiswal has made in his Test cricket career, the pundits have expressed a lot of confidence in him becoming the next big thing in international cricket. A lot of people have drawn comparisons between him and India’s modern-day great, Virat Kohli.
Both the batters are an integral part of the Indian Test line-up and are currently part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
India’s run-machine Virat Kohli has scored more than 9,000 runs in Test cricket at an average of 47.49, including seven double centuries.
Virat Kohli’s runs tally in his first 15 Tests
Interestingly, Virat Kohli also made his Test debut against West Indies. He failed to make an impression, registering scores of 4 and 15. In the next Test, he got out on a golden duck, followed by 27 off 118 in his fourth Test innings. He had a forgettable outing with the bat on the tour of West Indies.
Virat Kohli scored his first Test half-century when West Indies came to India to play a Test series in the same year. In the third Test match, Kohli played a handy knock of 52 runs in 111 balls at Wankhede Stadium. He followed it up with 63 off 114 balls in India’s second innings.
Virat Kohli’s maiden hundred in Test cricket came on the tour of Australia in 2012. In the fourth Test match of the series, Virat Kohli smashed 116 runs in 213 balls, including 11 fours and 1 six.
Virat Kohli made a decent start to his Test cricket, although, consistency was an issue. In his first 15 Tests, he managed to score 998 runs at an average of 38.
