Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Jaiswal's Sri Lanka mission: balance between attack and defence
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a young cricketer who plays for India.
He is very good at hitting the ball hard and scoring lots of runs.
But sometimes his hurry to attack gets him out.
Now India is playing a Test match against Sri Lanka in a place called Galle.
The pitch in Sri Lanka is hard to understand because the ball can behave differently every time.
One moment the ball might bounce high, and the next moment it might stay low.
Even famous players say it is one of the hardest places to bat.
Jaiswal needs to learn when to be careful and when to be brave.
If he can do that, he can score big runs for his team.
In one big innings against England, he played patiently at first and then attacked later.
But in another match, he got out while trying to hit a big shot.
He has scored more runs than anyone else in that part of the world since he started playing for India.
Everyone is watching to see how he handles this tricky challenge in Sri Lanka.
Yashasvi Jaiswal faces the challenge of balancing attack and defence in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, starting Saturday.
Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane said the top order gets the best batting conditions in Asia, with middle-order batting tougher as the ball ages.
Former Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne called Sri Lanka 'the toughest place' to open, citing unpredictable pitch behaviour and bounce.
Jaiswal has scored 1,417 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.50 with three centuries since debuting in July 2023, the most by anyone in the subcontinent.
His productive cut shot has also dismissed him eight times, highlighting the risk of his aggression.
- Who
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, India's opening batter, with comments from Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Dimuth Karunaratne.
- What
- Jaiswal faces the challenge of finding the right balance between attack and defence in the first Test against Sri Lanka.
- When
- The first Test, beginning on Saturday (the upcoming India-Sri Lanka series).
- Where
- Galle, Sri Lanka.
- Why
- Sri Lankan conditions are unpredictable, with possible swing on the first day and variable bounce, testing Jaiswal's decision-making.
- Player
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Fixture
- First Test: India vs Sri Lanka
- Venue
- Galle
- Runs since debut
- 1,417
- Matches played
- 15
- Batting average
- 54.50
- Centuries
- 3
- Test debut
- July 2023