Is Jaiswal next Kohli?

Two big series in England, Australia seal Jaiswal's growing status as overseas specialist

During the recently concluded series against England, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his meteoric rise in international cricket with yet another outstanding overseas tour — following a memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia in 2024–25.

With his audacious shot-making, temperament, and ability to play marathon knocks — all backed by sound technique — the tall Mumbaikar looks every bit the heir apparent to former Indian Test captain and his once opening partner, Rohit Sharma.

During the England tour, Jaiswal dazzled fans with his flair and frustrated them in equal measure, sometimes throwing away his wicket early, but more often than not making up for it in style when he got set.

In Australia, Jaiswal was India’s top run-getter with 391 runs in 10 innings at an average of 43.44, including a century and a fifty. His best score was a 297-ball 161 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. His fiery verbal duel with Aussie pace legend Mitchell Starc both irked and excited the cricketing fraternity. Some saw it as youthful audacity adding spice to the rivalry — especially after Aussie media dubbed him an "heir apparent" to Virat Kohli, a man who built his legend by dominating Australia. Others felt Jaiswal was too cocky and disrespectful toward a multi-time World Cup-winning veteran on his very first tour to Australia.

After beginning the series with a duck to Starc, Jaiswal responded with a commanding 161. Over the course of the series, he scored 133 of his 391 runs against Starc alone — in 203 balls — at a strike rate of over 65. He hit 20 boundaries and a six against the left-armer, never missing a chance to treat him with disdain.

While he blew hot and cold in the remaining two Tests, his fighting knocks of 82 and 84 at Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test gave India a glimmer of hope. With 391 runs in Australia, Jaiswal arrived in England as a more respected figure — carrying weighty expectations, especially after hammering 712 runs with two double hundreds against the same opposition at home earlier in the year. A highlight of that series was a hat-trick of sixes off James Anderson.

So, a much lighter and inexperienced English bowling attack — comprising Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes, and captain Ben Stokes — seemed like easy prey for the left-hander. In his first innings at Leeds, he cut and slashed with ninja-like precision. His drives down the ground and through the covers were a treat, the sound of ball on bat music to the ears. Watching Jaiswal time the ball to the boundary was like watching an artist glide a pen across paper to create perfect handwriting.

He scored a century in his first Test in England — just as he had done in the West Indies and Australia. But a poor shot selection ended his next innings at just 4. In Birmingham, he crafted a brilliant 107-ball 87, only to fall to Stokes while attempting a lavish slash. In the second innings, he looked fluent early but was trapped leg-before for 28 before settling in.

At Lord’s, he could manage only 13 and 0 — both times falling to a returning Jofra Archer. In the first innings, he edged to slips. In the second, a reckless top-edge on a big shot gave him a seven-ball duck, a major blow as India chased a modest 193. That moment — in hindsight — may have cost India the match. A little more situational awareness might have been enough for a 20-something score. It seemed Jaiswal had sipped too much of the 'Bazball' Kool-Aid, which unsettled him against the fiery Archer.

In the fourth Test at Manchester, Jaiswal made a fighting 107-ball 58, laced with 10 fours and a six. He seemed to be returning to form, but his recurring issue — getting caught in the slips — resurfaced, resulting in another duck in the second innings. The match ended in a draw.

At The Oval, another cheap dismissal in the first innings added to the growing frustration. But with England leading by 23 runs going into India’s second innings, Jaiswal responded with one of his finest knocks — a 118 off 164 balls that gave India a 373-run lead and set England a target of 374. India went on to win by six runs.

Across five Tests, Jaiswal scored 411 runs at an average of 41.10, with two centuries and two fifties. His best score was 118, and he finished as the ninth-highest run-scorer in the series.

During the series, he fared decently against the veterans — scoring 73 runs off Chris Woakes in 134 balls across nine innings, dismissed only once, striking at 54.47 with 14 fours. Against Ben Stokes, though dismissed twice in three innings, he still managed 32 runs off 50 balls, with a strike rate of 64.00, including four boundaries and a six.

The high-risk nature of Jaiswal’s game makes him vulnerable, but his scoring rate reflects that he isn’t afraid to fail — even when taking on the biggest names. That disrespect for reputations has been a constant on both the Australia and England tours, regardless of how often he gets out.

Since Murali Vijay, no other Indian opener has scored 350+ runs in debut Test series in both Australia and England. With a combined 802 runs in 20 innings at an average of 42 — including three centuries and four fifties — Jaiswal has given Indian fans a tantalizing glimpse of the overseas force he could become in the years to come.