Jaiswal announced himself on the international stage with a sparkling 171 on his Test debut against West Indies in July 2023.
However, his second Test hundred outside India – and fourth overall – will be one the 22-year-old will doubtless come to savour.
That it came against a gnarled Australia bowling attack, with over 1,400 Test wickets between them, was particularly satisfying.
Jaiswal resumed the day on 90 and brought up his fourth Test century, off 205 balls, in a particularly eye-catching manner – ramping a short ball from Josh Hazlewood for six.
He celebrated then spread out his arms, closed his eyes and turned his head to the heavens. There were records, too.
Jaiswal and fellow opener Rahul’s opening stand eclipsed the 191 made by Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1986, and is now the best of any opening Indian pair in Australia.
Fresh faced and lithe, Jaiswal had sledged Mitchell Starc on day two about his pace and showed plenty of resilience whenever he was peppered by short-pitched bowling and any verbals in between.
When he was eventually out, slicing Mitch Marsh to point, Jaiswal lingered at the crease almost in disbelief. His hunger for runs – despite 161 of them across 297 balls and featuring 15 fours and three sixes – was seemingly not sated.
His departure sparked a brief fightback from Australia as they took three wickets for eight runs, before grand master Kohli seized control of the contest with a stellar knock of his own.
It was vintage Kohli – watchful at first before he unfurled the full range of stylish drives and classy pulls.
When Kohli whacked Nathan Lyon straight down the ground for six, as he and Nitesh Reddy upped the ante, the expectancy grew.
Never a man to miss his lines on the big stage, Kohli duly delivered his seventh Test century on Australian soil with a flick down to fine leg and India declared.
That this knock ended a lean run of scores – he averaged 14 in his last seven Test innings – is an ominous portent for those wearing baggy greens for the remainder of this series.
