Yashasvi Jaiswal eyes Sunil Gavaskar’s crown: 22-year-old opener is just 97 runs away from this elusive feat

Yashasvi Jaiswal is padding up not just for the second Test against England at Edgbaston, but possibly to knock Sunil Gavaskar off a long-standing record pedestal.

The 22-year-old opener is just 97 runs shy of becoming the fastest Indian to score 2,000 runs in Test cricket, a record that has stood untouched since 1976. If Jaiswal gets there during the Edgbaston clash starting July 2, he’ll beat Gavaskar’s feat of reaching the milestone in 23 Tests.

And yes, the 'untouched-in-49 years' record maybe broken to take over 'that' Sunil Gavaskar, the man who went on to become the first to hit 10,000 Test runs.


For context, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag crossed 2,000 Test runs in their 25th games. Jaiswal could now leapfrog them all, Gavaskar included.

Jaiswal, with 1,903 runs in just 20 matches at an average of 52.86, has been India’s most dependable red-ball batter in recent times. Amid a transition phase and mixed team performances, he’s been a calm constant, his recent century in the first Test at Headingley being a prime example.

In the first Test at Headingley, Jaiswal was the brightest spot in a losing cause. He brought up a classy century in the first innings, showing composure against England’s pace attack and adapting quickly to the moving ball.

Sadly, that ton couldn’t stop England from chasing down a mammoth 371-run target, handing India a five-wicket loss and a 0-1 trail in the five-Test series. England's batters, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Joe Root, chased it down calmly with their new found Bazball style cricket.

But with the series still wide open, all eyes are on Jaiswal to swing the momentum back India’s way, and possibly make history while he’s at it.

(With inputs from TOI)