Last Updated on 1 week by Charbel Coorey
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has made a bold prediction about India’s opening sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal, claiming he will go on to score more than 40 Test centuries.
Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast following Jaiswal’s magnificent 161 at Perth, Maxwell said the opener does not have many weaknesses and can change gears so effortlessly.
Glenn Maxwell makes bold prediction about Yashasvi Jaiswal
Maxwell recalls being impressed by Jaiswal when playing against him in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But, it was the 2024 Test series against England, where Jaiswal made two double centuries, that really caught Maxwell’s attention.
“I think it was the Test series against England where he just pumped it everywhere,” Maxwell said. “I was watching it back going ‘he’s got an answer for everything, he’s got different gears, he’s got a great ability to go through the tempos of the game’.
“He played a lot of shots that will be on highlights packages, but the stuff he did in between… the balls he left, the balls he got in behind… his footwork is pretty crisp; doesn’t seem to have many weaknesses. Plays the short ball well, drives well, plays spin unbelievably well and can absorb pressure for periods of time.
“He’s a guy that will probably get more than 40 Test hundreds, and write some different records. He’s got a great ability to adapt to different conditions. It’s going to be scary if Australia can’t find a way to stop him over the next few games.”
Maxwell’s prediction is a big call. Just three players in history (Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting) have gone on to score over 40 Test centuries. If Jaiswal joins them, it will certainly be one hell of a ride that cricket fans will savour.
“He’s a guy that will probably get more than 40 Test hundreds, and write some different records.”
Glenn Maxwell on Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal’s Perth masterclass was his fourth hundred in 15 Tests. He has converted each into a 150+ score. The left-hander has scored 1,568 runs at an average of 58.07, and the manner in which he bounced back from his first innings duck in Perth was mighty impressive.
Jaiswal, along with Jasprit Bumrah, led the way as India took a 1-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, thumping Australia by 295 runs. The second Test begins on December 6 in Adelaide, and it will be fascinating to see how Jaiswal fares against the pink ball.
