Day 2 of the ongoing Perth Test between India and Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series saw an intriguing exchange between Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and veteran pacer Mitchell Starc.
Day 2 of the ongoing Perth Test between India and Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series saw an intriguing exchange between Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and veteran pacer Mitchell Starc, as the two cricketers indulged in some playful sledging during India's second innings on Saturday.
The banter began in the 19th over when Starc bowled a full-length delivery just outside off stump, tempting Jaiswal to drive on the up. However, the ball held its line and narrowly beat the left-handed opener’s outside edge. Starc, sensing the opportunity, gave Jaiswal a mocking stare and flashed a grin in his direction.
Not one to back down, Jaiswal immediately responded on the next ball with a confident shot. As if to send a clear message that he wasn’t intimidated, the young batter stood tall and played with composure. He also had a few words for the Australian pacer, saying, "You are coming too slow at me," showing that he was undeterred by Starc's earlier antics.
JAISWAL TO STARC:
"It's coming too slow" 😄🔥 pic.twitter.com/MXziersdUP
The exchange highlighted the spirited nature of the game, as Starc was also involved in a conversation with India pacer Harshit Rana earlier in the day.
Jaiswal's confident performance in the second innings was a stark contrast to his disappointing first innings, where he was dismissed for a duck off just 8 balls. The young left-hander showed great resilience, scoring a steady 42 off 88 balls in the second innings. With this knock, Jaiswal helped India extend their lead to 130 runs at tea, as they looked in a strong position.
Notably, Jaiswal also etched his name in the record books. With his 42-run knock, he surpassed a 16-year-old record held by Gautam Gambhir to become the Indian left-hander with the most runs in a calendar year in Test cricket. Jaiswal has accumulated over 1160 runs this year, placing him second on the list of the highest run-scorers in Test cricket for 2024, just behind Joe Root, who leads with 1338 runs.