Yashasvi Jaiswal stands on the cusp of surpassing Virat Kohli’s second-highest tally of runs by an Indian batter in a bilateral series of three or more Tests, needing just one more run to achieve this feat. Once he notches that elusive run in the upcoming India vs England fifth Test at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, commencing Thursday, Jaiswal will eclipse Kohli’s mark of 655 runs, set during the home series against England in 2016-17.
Across four Tests, Jaiswal has amassed 655 runs at an impressive average of 93.57, inclusive of two double centuries. Coincidentally, Kohli had also recorded two double centuries in the 2016-17 series against England. Should Jaiswal manage to accumulate 38 runs across both innings, he will surpass Kohli’s all-time best tally. Kohli, presently absent from the England series due to the birth of his second child, had amassed 692 runs in Australia during the 2014-15 series.
Given Jaiswal’s current form, it would be surprising if he fails to outdo Kohli, with a realistic chance of even surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s all-time record for the highest runs in a series by an Indian. Jaiswal’s remarkable performance against England has already elevated him to a revered echelon alongside Gavaskar, Kohli, Dilip Sardesai, and Rahul Dravid as the only Indian batters to exceed 600 runs in a Test series. Notably, no Indian, apart from Gavaskar, has scored over 700 runs in a series, a feat Gavaskar achieved twice against West Indies in 1971 and 1978-79.
In the current series, Jaiswal has faced setbacks in three instances, notably scoring 15 and 17 in the second innings of the first and second Tests, while registering his lowest score of 10 in the first innings of the third Test.
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Notwithstanding these occasional failures, his scoring rate remains noteworthy. Among batters who have scored more than Jaiswal in a Test series, only Victor Trumper has done so at a superior strike rate (87.78). Jaiswal’s strike rate of 78.63 stands as the second-best among all batters who have surpassed 650 runs in a Test series.
As the final Test approaches, Jaiswal’s performance assumes heightened importance, especially on the “used pitch” in Dharamsala, which is likely to favor seamers with the new ball, compounded by cold and damp conditions exacerbated by untimely rains. His ability to negotiate the threat posed by James Anderson, a challenge he has handled adeptly throughout the series, could potentially place Gavaskar’s five-decade-old record in jeopardy, if it isn’t already.
