If Jaiswal didn’t score a ton, Siraj wouldn’t have runs to defend: Kaif

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has said that alongside Mohammed Siraj, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also deserves equal credit for India’s thrilling win at The Oval. He pointed out that if Jaiswal hadn’t scored a century in the second innings, there wouldn’t have been enough runs on the board for Siraj to defend, and India could have ended up on the losing side.

Jaiswal, who started off with a dominating century at Headingley in the opening Test, ended the series with a gritty 118 in the second innings of the deciding match at The Oval.

England ended India’s first innings at 224 before being bowled out for 247 and taking a slender 23-run lead. India lost two wickets early in the second innings, then Jaiswal stepped up and stitched a 107-run stand with Akash deep (66), along with a couple of handy partnerships of 40 and 44 with Karun Nair and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively, as India posted 396 in the second innings, setting England a target of 376 for a win.

On Day 5 of the final Test, Siraj delivered a fiery five-wicket haul as India produced a sensational four-wicket burst on a nerve-shredding final morning at The Oval to beat England by six runs and square the series.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Kaif while praising India for its nervy win, said, “Before Siraj, I’ll mention (Yashasvi) Jaiswal. If Jaiswal hadn’t scored a century, there wouldn’t have been so many runs on the board to defend. Why is this a close match Till the end? Because Jaiswal got out early in the first innings.”

“Jaiswal’s way of playing is aggressive. But in this innings, he was calm. He left the ball. He attacked in the beginning. When he got set on the crease, he took his time and played a long innings.

“I feel that Jaiswal deserves to be credited for this win. Because of his century, India was able to get close to 370-380. If these runs hadn’t been made, Siraj wouldn’t have so many runs to defend and India would have lost this Test match,” he added.

India’s second innings at The Oval began with Jaiswal driving crisply and using the cut shot well to take five boundaries – four of which came off Gus Atkinson. He got a life on 20 when Harry Brook put down his edge off Atkinson at second slip.

Jaiswal then slashed Jamie Overton for six before getting another boundary off Josh Tongue to keep India afloat. He again had fortune on his side when, on 40, substitute fielder Liam Dawson dropped a sitter at long leg and went on to score 118 off 164 balls.

“Jaiswal did a great job on a difficult pitch. This was the most difficult pitch in this series for batting. In the last four matches, it was a flat pitch; batting dominated pitches. But here (at the Oval), bowlers were dominating. On a pitch, where there was a lot of seam movement, Jaiswal showed us why he has an average of 50. He has talent and ability of a big match player,” Kaif said.

After India beat England in a thrilling showdown at The Oval to level the series 2-2, Gill & Co. managed to usurp England and move into third place in the ICC World Test Championship standings, earning 12 crucial points. They now have 28 points on the board and a points percentage of 46.67.

IANS