August 3, 2025: Following his spirited fourth overseas Test century against England, young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal revealed that former Test captain Rohit Sharma delivered a simple yet powerful message to him from the stands: “keep playing.”
Jaiswal, who scored a valiant 118 off 164 deliveries on Day 3 of the fifth Test at Kennington Oval, disclosed the interaction with reporters. “I saw Rohit bhai and said hi. He gave me the message to keep playing,” the 23-year-old said in a post-match press conference.
The left-handed batsman credited his development not only to his own game plan but also to the guidance of senior players. “Playing with the seniors as long as I have played with Rohit Bhai, Virat Bhai… helped me a lot grow as a person,” Jaiswal stated, adding that he “really enjoyed” discussing the game with teammates like KL Rahul and captain Shubman Gill.
Jaiswal’s explosive innings, which was marked by his aggressive style despite receiving three lifelines from the English fielders, laid the foundation for India to set a daunting target. He reached his century in 127 deliveries and celebrated with a jubilant display for his family and the crowd.
Despite the “spicy” conditions of the wicket, Jaiswal said he was mentally prepared and “having a lot of fun batting.” His brilliant knock came to an end when he was caught at third man by Jamie Overton while attempting an upper cut off a delivery by Josh Tongue. His second ton of the series helped India muscle its way to a commanding total of 396.