Young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a fantastic ton against England in the second innings of the Rajkot Test on Saturday. Batting alongside Shubman Gill, the stylish left-hander blasted a boundary off Mark Wood towards the sweeper fence to bring up his second century of the series. He was dismissed for a run-a-ball 10 in the first innings by Wood.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, jumped and punched the air as the dressing room and viewers gave him a standing ovation. However, an excited Jaiswal went ahead to replicate the iconic "extended hands" celebration of footballer Jude Bellingham. Jaiswal took off his helmet and gloves and kept his bat down to kiss the fingers of his both arms before standing with his arms wide open.
Jaiswal smashed nine boundaries and five sixes en route to his 104 (score during the time of compiling this report). "Back to back century for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Treating Spinners the way they should be treated. De dana dan," former Indian batter Virender Sehwag tweeted congratulating the youngster.
Englishman Bellingham, 20, is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks because of an ankle injury. Real Madrid said Sunday that Bellingham was diagnosed with a sprain in his left ankle. The club said his recovery will be monitored, without setting a timetable for his return.
Bellingham asked to be substituted after scoring two goals in Madrid's 4-0 win over Girona in the Spanish league on Saturday, a result that allowed the Spanish powerhouse to open a five-point lead over Girona in the league standings.
Bellingham sprained his ankle after it was stepped on by Girona's Pablo Torre early in the second half. The midfielder was briefly treated by team doctors before returning to the field. But after he tapped in an easy second goal in the 55th, Bellingham soon sat down on the turf and asked to come off. He walked off the field gingerly but on his own.
WATCH YASHASVI CELEBRATING LIKE BELLINGHAM AFTER HIS TON HERE:
A leap of joy to celebrate his second century of the series 🙌
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2024
Well played, Yashasvi Jaiswal 👏👏#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ybj_19 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pdlPhn5e3N
His double gave Bellingham 20 goals across all competitions since joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
India vs England Day 3: As it happened
Earlier, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav upped the ante in the absence of a peerless Ravichandran Ashwin to give India a vital 126-run first-innings lead which extended to 170 as the hosts reached 44 for 1 at tea on the third day of the third Test against England.
England suffered a mini-collapse from an assured 290 for 5 to get all out for 319 in 71.1 overs with Siraj ending with figures of 4 for 84 while Kuldeep's twin strike at the start of the day set the tone.
Senior operators Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with one and two wickets respectively to ensure that India didn't suffer after Ashwin withdrew from the game due to a medical emergency in the family.
