“Has come close to the impact of Virender Sehwag” - Navjot Singh Sidhu’s massive praise for youngster amid ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has lavished high praise on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. This comes amid the ongoing fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the Kennington Oval in London.

On Saturday, August 2, the 61-year-old shared a video on his YouTube channel, @NavjotSidhuOfficial, in which he applauded Jaiswal’s strokeplay and remarked that the young opener is beginning to mirror the impact of former great Virender Sehwag. Sidhu said:

“The way he (Jaiswal) played those cuts, the cover drive, and especially that stroke between mid-on and midwicket shows how quickly he gets into position. He has so much time. I can say that after Sunil Gavaskar, if any opener has come close to the impact of Virender Sehwag, it is Yashasvi Jaiswal. He has scored double hundreds and hundreds, and done so at a pace that gives bowlers no time to settle while putting his team in a winning position.”

“If I had to rate him, his average was around 52 before this series, and now it will be close to 49 or 50. When your average remains near or above 50 even after playing 20 to 30 Test matches, you are considered a great player,” he added.

He also praised Jaiswal’s fifty on Day 2 of the ongoing Test against England, emphasizing the significance of the innings given the challenging conditions. Sidhu said:

“Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fifty today was priceless. In these conditions, there could not have been a better innings. Some might say that he got a life because a catch was dropped, but if you look at how that catch was dropped, you’ll understand. It was such a powerful slash, and the ball that went toward Brook was traveling at the speed of knots.”

“And the pull shot he played toward square leg was brilliant. His special quality is the back-and-across movement, which gives him that little extra time. Then he plays with complete flow, fully aware that he could get out anytime in such conditions,” he continued.

At the end of Day 2, the visitors were 75/2 after 18 overs in their second innings, leading by 52 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal (51) and Akash Deep (4) unbeaten at the crease.

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“Decision to play an extra batsman was completely justified” - Sidhu backs coach Gautam Gambhir amid ENG vs IND 5th Test

In the same video, Navjot Singh Sidhu also voiced his support for coach Gautam Gambhir’s decision to include an extra batter. He emphasized how India collapsed in the morning session on Day 2, losing their last four wickets for just six runs and getting bundled out for 224, with no contribution from the No. 9, 10, and 11 positions. Sidhu said:

“Today, Gautam Gambhir’s decision to play an extra batsman was completely justified. As soon as the new day began and Karun Nair got out early, what followed was just a string of low scores. The last three or four batsmen offered nothing with the bat.”

“Even Washington Sundar was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to take a single or not, and ended up getting out while trying to play a pull shot. As a result, the innings got stuck at 224, when it looked like it could have easily reached 300. That shift in momentum went in England’s favour,” he added.

Meanwhile, India will aim to post a big total in their second innings as they look to win the match and level the series 2-2.