Yashasvi Jaiswal offers Rohit and Agarkar a “happy headache” for the T20 World Cup after reclaiming the starting berth from Virat Kohli

Heads of selection panels, coaches, and captains have all been known to describe having a “happy headache.” A headache is still a headache, happy or not?

In cricket jargon, “happy headache” refers to a situation when one is left pondering who to exclude rather than who to choose. It indicates that there are many choices for each role, which is a far better situation than having to choose one person out of a plethora of ordinary candidates. That’s exactly what India’s think tank is dealing with right now—a “happy headache.”

On Monday night, Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed to its enjoyable discomfiture with what may turn out to be a breakthrough IPL 2024 innings. The left-handed opener for the Rajasthan Royals had amassed a pitiful 121 runs in seven innings before to their match against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians. His talent, quality, desire, and pedigree were undeniable, but where were the runs?

It would seem to be in cold storage for the time being. The 22-year-old removed any doubt after stumbling through the first part of the league stage with an incredible second IPL century, an innings that should get a ticket punched to the T20 World Cup, which begins in little over five weeks.

Before this undefeated 104, Jaiswal’s spot in the team of 15 wasn’t really in jeopardy. He wouldn’t have been human, however, if he hadn’t felt pressure—even if it was self-imposed—because the runs weren’t coming and so many other players in the top three were staked. Jaiswal had run out of runs, but it was difficult to determine whether his form had soured.

He didn’t spend enough time at the crease in certain digs, and he tossed his hand away in others when it seemed like he had worked very hard. Perhaps, after a 700-run Test series against England, he was feeling the pressure of expectations, or perhaps, ridiculous as it may seem, he thought he had to contribute to Jos Buttler’s runs as well. After all, it’s important to keep in mind that the England white-ball skipper hadn’t had a very successful IPL before his two hundred.

There was a noticeable shift in attitude on Monday. Jaiswal wasn’t a young guy in a rush; he didn’t want to dominate the bowling game right away, and he didn’t try any crazy or unusual strokes. Perhaps it was immediately excluded since there was a certain Jasprit Bumrah in the opposing ranks, which might have worked in Jaiswal’s favour. However, you could see that things were about to change when he easily covered the ace in the powerplay by leaning into the ball and placing his front foot on the pitch.

From that point on, Jaiswal batted against England with the same command and utter control that he had shown in January, February, and a little bit of March. He progressed through the gears, his flawless six-hitting abilities enhancing his commanding square on the off-side. It was going to be a century, and as he mentioned the winning runs, his captain, Sanju Samson gave him a bear hug, and the opposition flocked to congratulate him.

However, Jaiswal seemed to be looking for someone. Maybe Rohit Sharma. What better way to impress and remind the national captain of his intentions than to hit a century when he is fielding, don’t you think?

Jaiswal has essentially ended the argument over Rohit’s World Cup partner, as the decision-makers are scheduled to convene later this week to finalize the squad of 15. While many commentators, including former India captain Sourav Ganguly, have supported both the current captain and his predecessor leading the batting order, Jaiswal adds a natural quality that Kohli does not: his left-handedness. Virat Kohli has done nothing wrong, amassing large, handsome, and quick runs.

For a group of bowlers, nothing is more annoying than constantly needing to reset the radar when faced with a left-right combination. In addition to execution mistakes, it may result in additional deliveries and free runs in the form of wides, which is a huge advantage in a format with the narrowest possible margins.

Bowlers will also be forced to often change lengths by Jaiswal and Rohit up top. Although Rohit and Jaiswal aren’t precisely Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, they are almost the same height, and their differences in height have a significant effect on bowling units. Why wouldn’t you want to enforce it when you had the opportunity to change the bowlers straightaway’s lines and lengths?