'Wanted To Play With Fearless Mindset ': Yashasvi Jaiswal Reflects On His Dream Outing In Perth Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal termed his “fearless mindset” and ability to take “brave decisions” as the catalysts behind his exceptional hundred against Australia in the ongoing first Test, here on Sunday.

Jaiswal made a 161 in only his second innings on Australian soil and added 201 runs for the opening wicket with KL Rahul (77) to lay the foundation of India’s imposing 533-run target.

“It was a very special moment for me. I always wanted to tour Australia and do well and this knock is very important for me,” Jaiswal said in the post-day press meet.

“I always wanted to play with a fearless mindset. I always believe in myself and take brave decisions. So, it was an amazing experience to play against such quality bowlers in their country, and it’s special to score a hundred against the world’s best,” he added.

Jaiswal, who was dismissed for an eight-ball duck in the first innings, said the focus was on negating the new ball spell by Australian quicks.

“The wicket was seaming a bit more in the first innings. In the second innings we were discussing how to play the new ball better — which balls to leave and which to play. So, it was important for the team that I play the new ball better.” Jaiswal said he had set small targets for himself in the second essay.

"I never thought I would get this big a hundred, as my goals were small, taking it session by session. Then I had a good partnership with (KL) Rahul bhai. He was guiding me during the partnership, so that was helpful.” So, what was the conversation between him and Rahul during the alliance? “We have been playing together for a while, we all know each other well and talk between ourselves in the dressing room.

“Whenever I felt nervous in the middle, Rahul bhai was telling me to remain focused and calm. It was helpful because you are going to get some good balls in these kinds of pitches,” he said.

The left-hander said the team was prepared to tackle the bounce at Perth.

“We knew that the ball would bounce here. We were prepared for the bounce. We had a nice camp here ahead of this Test. We were practicing in similar conditions with the same kind of mindset as how we can score runs in these conditions. It’s all about practicing hard and learning what shots to play here,” he explained.

Jaiswal brought up his fourth Test hundred with a remarkable ramped six off pacer Josh Hazlewood. The 22-year-old said he was mentally prepared for it.

“To be honest, I knew he was going to bowl a bouncer because the field was set like that and I was ready for the bounce, and I was ready to play that shot. Happy that I pulled it off and carried on for some more time,” he said.

‘Virat paaji is incredible’

Virat Kohli brought up his 30th Test hundred a while after Jaiswal reached the landmark, and the youngster said it was a privilege to watch and play alongside the star batter.

“I have seen Virat paaji making runs at Perth (in 2018) on TV. Now, I have seen it live too. He has been doing it for a long, long time. So, he is just incredible.

“We were so happy for him that he could finish it. We were all waiting for his 100. He played amazingly,” he said.