Yashasvi Jaiswal reveals new coach Gautam Gambhir’s coaching mantra: ‘Spoke with him during SL series’

The 22-year-old announced his arrival in international cricket with a century on his Test debut against West Indies, but it was the series against England that established him as the next big thing in world cricket. He smashed 712 runs in the five-match series and outshined senior pros like Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and others.

The swashbuckling opener has also impressed many with his free-flowing batting in T20Is. He has played 23 T20Is for India and scored 723 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 164.32.

He is yet to make his ODI debut but still one of the contenders to make into India’s squad for the Champions Trophy next year.

The 22-year-old opened up on playing under new head coach Gautam Gambhir and asserted that he backs players to the hilt, something he said helps the players produce their natural game.

“Yes, I have spoken with him during the Sri Lanka series. He really backed us saying just go out and play freely and enjoy the game and we will be with you. It gives us a lot of confidence and helps us to play fearlessly,” Jaiswal told PTI.

Jaiswal all ready for Duleep Trophy and Bangladesh Tests

The left-handed batter said he wanted to use Duleep Trophy as a training platform to hone his skills ahead of the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh.

“I am working hard at nets ahead, first for the Duleep Trophy and then for the Bangladesh series. It’s not about setting personal goals, as you know in cricket you have to be consistent and keep working on your skills.

“Domestic tournaments like Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy are very important games and it gives me a lot of confidence and helps me prepare for those (international) games,” he said.

“I try to remain in my zone and contribute to the team’s winning cause. You get to learn a lot of things in tournaments like Duleep Trophy and it is very good for you to play such intense games ahead of a Test series,” he added.