India vs England: Jayant Yadav describes 'situational' batting approach after crucial Mohali innings

Jayant Yadav became another addition to India’s growing list of handy all-rounders when his crucial knock of 55 in the first innings helped seal England’s fate in Mohali. It wasn’t just his runs that made the difference for the hosts, but also his batting approach, which proved to be the perfect foil for Ravindra Jadeja. Eight wickets in two Test matches against an England side that has perennially struggled to negotiate spin comes as less of a surprise, considering he was brought in as a bowling all-rounder who could trouble the long list of left-handers in England’s batting line-up. But it is his batting average of 58.50, coming in at number eight, that has impressed critics and fans alike. [caption id=“attachment_3128046” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jayant Yadav brought up his maiden Test fifty in only his second appearance. AP[/caption] In the Mohali Test, his gritty and patient innings was a big part of the 213 runs that India’s last four batsman added, but more importantly, his unwillingness to throw his wicket away added to the frustrations of Alastair Cook and Co. Speaking to BCCI.TV in an interview after the Test, Jayant spoke about his patient approach with the bat that India’s situation in Mohali desperately needed at the time. “My approach has always been that way. I wait for the bad deliveries and punish them and play with the patience of the bowlers. It is a technique that has given me benefits in the past, and I want to continue focusing on my strengths,” Jayant said, speaking to BCCI.TV. “My batting approach is situational,” he went on to add, stressing on the importance of curb his instinct to got for what he termed as ‘rash shots’. With India’s tail wagging yet again, it was all about playing with the visitors’ patience and Jayant highlighted the team’s mental strength in the interview. The 26-year-old credited the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) and its team of coaches for instilling confidence in him that he could bat. “A lot of credit has to be given to HCA because they are the ones who instilled the confidence in me that I could bat well. Right from the coaches to Anirudh Chaudhry sir, they have pushed me to go up the order and bat. That gave me an extra added responsibility that I have to bat for long hours and play till the end,” Jayant told BCCI.TV. In domestic cricket, Jayant has a double hundred to his name and has also scored six half-centuries playing for Haryana. Since coming into the Indian set-up, the newcomer revealed that he has spent time with batting coach Sanjay Bangar, working on having a wider stance to give him more balance while batting, apart from some other technical aspects that would help him become an even more reliable batsman for India in the lower order. Jayant has given the selectors plenty of reasons to retain him for the Mumbai Test, where he will look to build on his success with the bat.