Joe Root Makes Brutally Honest Prediction Involving Yashasvi Jaiswal Ahead of England-India Tests

Joe Root has predicted Yashasvi Jaiswal to have an "amazing" Test series against England, with the first match scheduled to begin on June 20.

Joe Root Makes Brutally Honest Prediction Involving Yashasvi Jaiswal Ahead of England-India Tests

Joe Root predicted Yashasvi Jaiswal to shine during the upcoming India-England series. (via X)

English cricketing icon Joe Root predicted young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to have an ‘amazing’ series against England, in terms of run-scoring. The two players will face each other, when India takes on England in the first Test at Headingley in Leeds, starting June 20. 

India will begin the much-awaited England tour later this week, which marks the beginning of two phases. Firstly, it will see the Men in Blue kickstart their 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. Secondly, it also marks the dawn of a new era for the Indian Test side. For the first time in almost a decade, the team will be without the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom retired from Tests last month. 

Therefore, it will be a challenging tour for the Indian Test side, adding the team comes off the back of two successive Test series defeats. The Men in Blue were humiliated 0-3 by New Zealand at home, followed by a 1-3 defeat to Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. For skipper Shubman Gill, it will be a daunting task to play through the conditions in England as well as to manage an inexperienced side.

It is quite difficult to predict which player will come out on top for the Indian team in England. However, Joe Root, known for his keen eye for talent, singled out Yashasvi Jaiswal to perform exceptionally. Root, in an interview with Times of India, picked the 23-year-old to shine.

Responding to a question, the 34-year-old also stated that it is hard to generalize whether a player is cut out for Test or not, as everyone has a different way of development:

It might be that someone like [Yashasvi] Jaiswal comes in and has an amazing series, like he did against the West Indies, and goes to Australia and scores a hundred.

Speaking on his choice of Jaiswal, Root exclaimed that the left-hander might have an incredible series against England, especially given his strong performances when he first emerged in international cricket in the West Indies and Australia. He acknowledged that Jaiswal has risen quickly through the ranks. He also pointed out the difficult task Indian selectors face due to the huge talent pool in the country:

Being a selector is not something that I look forward to down the line! I can imagine, being in India, with the amount of talent and the amount of players there are to pick from.

Yashasvi Jaiswal indeed is a suitable pick, especially keeping in mind that the he has been India’s most prolific run-getter in the longest format over the past two years. He emerged as the highest run-scorer for the Men in Blue in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 391 runs at an average of 43.44, hitting one century and two half-centuries. He was impressive in the series against England and Bangladesh as well.

Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal, ranked no. 4 on the ICC Test Batters list, also finished the 2023-25 WTC cycle strongly. He became the only Indian player among the top ten run-getters in the previous cycle, second only to Joe Root with 1,798 runs in 36 innings at an average of 52.88. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal Nears Historic Test Record Held by Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag

Young Indian opener and Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is just one step away from creating history, to become the fastest Indian player to score 2,000 runs in Test cricket. Jaiswal could surpass the record held by former Indian stars, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal record Dravid and Sehwag
Yashasvi Jaiswal is close to breaking Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag’s record for fastest Indian player to 2000 Test runs. (via Deccan Chronicle)

Yashasvi Jaiswal now has the opportunity to break a record during the upcoming series in England. Jaiswal could become the fastest Indian player to reach the 2000-run mark in Tests, should he score another 207 runs in his next three innings. Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag achieved this feat in 40 innings, while Jaiswal has played only 36 innings. 

Jaiswal currently stands with 1798 runs in Tests for India in 19 matches, having scored at an average of 52.88. However, Jaiswal would still remain way behind Australian great Sir Don Bradman, who scored 2000 Test runs in just 22 innings, creating an unmatched record.