Yashasvi Jaiswal rapidly growing in confidence in Australian conditions. The biggest sign? Yes, of course, the way he batted in the second innings, showed patience, mixed caution with aggression, respected the conditions and the match situation, but what about his verbal battle with Mitchell Starc? Jaiswal did not shy away from engaging in the verbal duel with Australia’s very best. On Day 2 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, Yashasvi Jaiswal took a dig at Mitchell Starc. The fact that it came without any direct provocation from Starc, 12 years older than Jaiswal in Test cricket, spoke volumes for the young Indian batsman’s confidence and aggressive attitude.

After hitting Starc for square leg with a stunning half sweep half stroke shot, Jaiswal defended a delivery off the back foot in the same over and decided to nudge the big last bowler. “It’s slow going,” he told Starc in this follow-up. The left-arm fast bowler had a smile on his face as he walked back to his mark.

To understand the context behind Jaiswal’s sudden verbal quip, one has to go back a couple of hours. In the first session on Saturday, Starc informed India’s debuting pacer Harshit that he is faster than the right-arm seamer. “I bowl faster than you and has a long memory,” Starc told Rana after the latter rattled him with some short stuff.

India in full control

Starc, who was the top scorer in the Australian innings with a struggling 26 off 112 balls, was dismissed by Rana in the end, but it seems Jaiswal took note of that comment from the veteran Australian fast bowler. The fact that Jaiswal was dismissed for an eight-ball duck by Starc in the first innings may also have played a role.

The visitors took a 46-run lead into the second innings after dismissing the hosts for a paltry 104 at lunch in reply to their equally paltry 150 on a lively pitch.

Jaiswal reached his half-century and Rahul continued on his merry way as the bouncer brought up India’s first century opening stand in 20 years.

Jaiswal, in his 15th Test, failed to score in his first knock and started tentatively before a boundary off Mitchell Starc settled him.

Batting with the more experienced Rahul, they ran well between the wickets and cracked everything loose to the boundary, playing their shots as their confidence grew.

That included a beautiful straight drive by Rahul off Pat Cummins and an equally impressive sweep by Jaiswal off a full Starc delivery.

The ball wasn’t moving nearly as much as on the opening day and Australia were in dire need of some inspiration, but the partnership failed to flourish.

After an astonishing 17 wickets fell on a chaotic opening day, Australia resumed at 67-7 and put on 37 thanks to a tenacious last-wicket stand.

They reached triple figures courtesy of Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with their 25-run stand the longest of the Australian innings.

Jasprit Bumrah was India’s leading chaser with 5-30, his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests. Harshit Rana chipped in with 3-48.

Home hopes rested on Alex Carey when he started on 19, but after pushing two off Rana, he faced an unstoppable Bumrah.

Coming around the wicket, the Indian captain made Carey play and he nodded to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Nathan Lyon (5) did well to hang around for 16 fiery balls before gloveing ​​a short one from Rana to Rahul in the slips.

That brought Hazlewood to the field and it seemed only a matter of time before India struck again.

But he and Starc hung in there and brought up the 100 to huge cheers from the crowd.

It was an intelligent innings by Starc, who doggedly faced 112 balls and shielded Hazlewood to add crucial extra runs before dismissing Rana to Pant on 26.