Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ben Dukett. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
England batter Ben Duckett had created an uproar during the recently concluded India versus England Test series. It did not come from his on-field performance, but rather from his surprising statement from a press conference. He had remarked that the Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s onslaught in the series was influenced and inspired by the Bazball gameplay, that was introduced to the world by the England team under Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Jaiswal was on song when he notched up a double ton against the reeling England side in Rajkot. His unbeaten 214 saw him smash 12 sixes and 14 boundaries. Duckett, commenting on the Mumbai prodigy taking English bowlers to the cleaners, said that England should get some credit for Jaiswal’s style of play. Now, the 22-year-old has come up with a classic reaction to his counterpart’s statement.
“I don’t want to say anything about it. I just need to try and do whatever I can do on the ground that says the best I can do,” said Jaiswal as quoted by India Today.
“When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they’re playing differently than how other people play Test cricket,” Duckett had previously said.
I’m happy but I want to be more focused: Jaiswal
The England opener’s comment drew a lot of criticism from his countrymen, as Nasser Hussain came hard at Duckett. Speaking about Jaiswal’s performance in the series, he was in a different zone altogether throughout the series. He amassed a whopping 712 runs in just nine innings. He also became the only second batter to achieve these numbers in a bilateral series, after the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. When asked about his feelings after securing such a feat, he insisted on staying focused and taking one match at a time.
“It’s a great feeling, I’m happy but I want to be more focused, so that I can do well for my team. I’m not thinking about anything today. I want to take one match at a time. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so I don’t want to think too much,” he added.