With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket and T20Is, the Indian team is entering a transitional phase and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s childhood coach Jwala Singh believes that his ward can step up to fill the void.

Singh is confident that Yashasvi Jaiswal has the talent and mental fortitude to play a central role in India’s batting unit for the foreseeable future, starting with the upcoming away Test series against England.

“The Indian batting unit will rely heavily on him, just like it once did on greats like Sachin (Tendulkar), (Rahul) Dravid, and later Virat,” Jwala Singh told the Times of India in an interview.

“Yashasvi needs to take on that responsibility now and play that same anchoring role. He’s the kind of player who delivers once he sets his mind to something. I believe he’ll be one of the senior batters now, and I’m confident he will score runs. His role is extremely important in this team,” Singh noted.

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Jaiswal made his Test debut for India in 2023 and has already managed 1798 runs in 19 matches at an average of over 50. With a young Indian cricket team in England, Singh believes Jaiswal is now ready to play a senior role.

“Looking at his character since childhood, he's a guy who, when he decides something, he delivers. I feel he will be one of the senior batters.

“He has positioned himself well in all Test matches. If he decides and gets used to the conditions in the warm-up games, I am very sure that he will score runs. His role is very, very vital in this Indian unit,” Singh said.

Jwala Singh also backed Jaiswal to do well in all formats of the game going forward.

“He has a lot of self-belief and nowadays, he has learnt to adapt to different conditions and formats well. Credit goes to the IPL, Rajasthan Royals and the BCCI for this. I believe he can represent India across formats for the next 10-15 years,” Singh opined.

Jaiswal was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the recent home Test series against Australia, where he had senior players around him. Singh noted that the upcoming England tour would be a tougher challenge.

Singh conceded that an away red-ball series against England will be a tough test for Jaiswal and a young Indian team. However, he remains optimistic that a stellar showing by his pupil can rise above the challenges, just like he did Down Under.

Playing his first-ever Test series in Australia late last year, Jaiswal emerged as India’s highest scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with 391 runs. The tally included one century at Perth and two half tons.

“In the Australia series, Yashasvi had seniors around him, which gave him the freedom to play his shots. But this time, the responsibility is greater. The batting lineup will depend heavily on him. This series will be a real test of his technique, temperament, and ability to win sessions for India. He will have to play sensible cricket and with caution,” he said.

Singh also detailed the specific training Yashasvi Jaiswal underwent ahead of the England series.

“When he wasn’t doing well, we practiced with a plastic sheet on the wicket to simulate uneven bounce. A sidearm specialist would bowl at 160-170 kmph - faster than even Jofra Archer.

“I’d ask him to clear mid-on and mid-off, play his pull shots, and train for hours - sometimes three to four hours a day. That hard work paid off. He went back to the IPL and delivered,” Singh revealed.

Jaiswal finished as the Royals’ top scorer in IPL 2025 with 559 runs from 14 matches.

“He trained the same way ahead of the series and I hope this will help him in swing conditions in England,” Singh concluded.