On Day 1 of the upcoming Headingley Test between England and India, popular cricketer-turned-commentator Irfan Pathan was completely blown away by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s batting. Jaiswal, who produced a superb century while opening the batting, was part of vital partnerships with KL Rahul (42) and Shubman Gill (127*) that placed India in command on the first day of the first Test, for which he received high accolades from Irfan Pathan.

During his post-match analysis, the former India all-rounder praised the opener’s batting and claimed his front-foot smashes were like a message. The Baroda native further stated that Jaiswal’s excitement after surpassing the three-figure mark demonstrated how significant this win was for the Uttar Pradesh native.

“Excellent batting.” He made a statement with his first ball by defending. Chris Woakes delivered the first ball of the series, and he moved his foot forward to protect. “His game plan was to play balls outside the off stump and on the stumps with great control,” Pathan told Sony Sports Network.

“Whether the ball was full or he had to play on the up, the young Yashasvi Jaiswal’s aggressive approach against bad balls was admirable. “The celebration demonstrates how important it was for him to score a century on the England tour as a youngster,” he continued.

Jaiswal got the innings off to a good start, hitting two boundaries through the off-side.

He then took some time to evaluate the swinging and slightly overcast conditions on a slow Headingley pitch. But once he got his feet under him, the Southpaw was unstoppable, scoring his century off just 144 balls, including 16 boundaries and a six through the covers.

In his 92-run stand for the first wicket with fellow opener KL Rahul, Jaiswal helped India lay the groundwork, which was later fully utilised by the captain-vice captain duo of Gill and Rishabh Pant, who helped India post 359 runs for the loss of only three wickets at Stumps on the opening day against The Three Lions.