I enjoyed batting with Ashwin, says debutant Jayant Yadav

Debutant Jayant Yadav, who made vital 35 runs to take India past 450 mark in the first innings of the ongoing second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, said on Saturday that he enjoyed batting with Ravichandran Ashwin as he kept encouraging him during the course of the innings.

Jayant wore his helmet when India were reeling at 365/7 and shared a crucial 64-run stand for the eighth wicket with Ashwin to help India post a big first innings score.

"I believe those 35 runs were vital and I enjoyed batting with Ashwin. He kept things simple and relaxed. He was doing most of the talking. He kept encouraging from ball to ball and kept telling me that I was hitting the ball well. He gave me a few pointers of how to adjust according to the wicket and the bowlers," he was quoted as saying by BCCI.TV.

Bowling aside, the debutant also spoke of the effort being put in at the nets to get better with the bat and credited batting coach Sanjay Bangar for the same.

"I credit our batting coach Sanjay Bangar Sir for pushing everyone in the side to have a bat at the nets. He keeps egging you to up your game and skills according to international standards. I worked on a lot of technical stuff with him and in particular, on the short balls. Small things like widening my stance so that I got better balance while batting and it worked in the middle. I got out to a rash shot but hopefully I will get better going forward," he said.

The 26-year-old, who plays for Haryana in domestic cricket, took his first Test wicket in the second over he bowled which came after a successful DRS referral from India where Moeen Ali was struck on the pads first.

Sharing his experience about scalping his first international wicket, Jayant said, "The feeling can't be expressed but there was jubilation, pride and happiness at that time. I think that's all I can express how it felt at that point of time. It was a great feeling to get my first Test scalp."

The all-rounder also talked about the happiness he felt after being handed over the Test cap by none other than former Indian skipper Ravi Shastri.

"Yesterday when I received the Test cap from Ravi (Shastri) Sir, it was a very proud moment for me. I can't pin point one emotion because they were like firecrackers. One emotion was (of) pride - of representing your country. Then there was that feeling of hard work being rewarded. Then there were bursts of anxiety and curiousness to know how it feels to walk on that ground with that badge on your chest, cap or the helmet on your head. It was a completely different experience," he said.