After three fantastic Test matches between India and Australia in The Ashes, Test cricket is witnessing a rather one-sided match in Dominica where Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal continue to treat the West Indies attack like punching bags. Jaiswal and Rohit – India’s latest opening pair in Tests – scored centuries as India consolidated their dominance to reach 312/2 at stumps on Day 2, ahead of the West Indies by 162 runs. If they manage to bat on Day 2 – losing just 2 wickets and going 2 wicketless sessions – West Indies will have an equally long Day 3 as India look to bat for victory.
In the process, Jaiswal not only became the 17th Indian opener to score a Test century on debut and Rohit his second outside India, but the duo even created history with their mammoth 229-run partnership. With their double-century partnership, Rohit and Jaiswal registered the highest opening partnership for India against the West Indies in Tests when they surpassed the previous highest of 159 between Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer in the 2006 Gros Islet Test.
Next to them is another legendary pair – Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan’s 153 in Mumbai in 1978, followed by a 136-run stand between Gavaskar himself and Anshuman Gaikwad in 1976. Rohit and Jaiswal’s marathon stand also produced India’s first 100-run stand. for the opening wicket in 23 Test innings. Moreover, it was the first time in the history of Test cricket that India took the lead in their first innings without losing a wicket.
But while the partnership was eventually broken and Rohit departed quickly after his 10th Test ton, Jaiswal batted throughout the day to produce a unique performance. The opener broke the record for the number of balls faced by an Indian debutant. Jaiswal, 21, showed great composure throughout his innings, switching with ease – taking 16 balls to get off the mark and shouldering the first five balls of Jason Holder on Day 2. with the pace and bounce of the wicket, he needed just 31 balls to accelerate from 70 to 100. Jaiswal’s century also made him the first Indian batsman to score a 100 on debut outside Asia in 21 years after Virender Sehwag’s 101 against South Africa in Bloemfontein .
It was only Rohit’s 2nd Test century outside India – with his 127 in The Oval Test against England in 2021 – during which he achieved a very special feat. By the time Rohit scored his half-century, he had established himself as one of India’s best openers, surpassing the legendary Gavaskar and Sehwag by registering his 102nd fifty, alongside the great Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the pack with 120 overs of 50.
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