Yashasvi Jaiswal has responded to a difficult run in red-ball cricket with successive centuries for India A against New Zealand A. His latest hundred in Lincoln is a timely boost ahead of the two-Test series, offering the India opener a chance to rebuild confidence.Yashasvi Jaiswal has roared back to form.

Yashasvi Jaiswal appears to have found his rhythm at just the right time. The India opener struck his second successive century for India A against New Zealand A, scoring 102 off 138 balls in the third four-day match at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Saturday.The knock followed his unbeaten 155 in the second match at Hagley Oval, giving the left-hander consecutive hundreds as he builds towards India's upcoming Test assignment in New Zealand.

India A finished the rain-hit opening day at 227 for 2, with B Sai Sudharsan unbeaten on 77 after sharing a commanding 175-run opening stand with Jaiswal.Asked to bat on a green surface after losing the toss, the Indian openers began cautiously against Brett Randell and Zak Gibson, who found movement with the new ball. However, Jaiswal shifted gears once the first-change bowlers came on, taking on Jarrod McKay with a six and a flurry of boundaries.

He continued to attack after the interval, surviving a dropped catch at first slip before moving into the nineties and bringing up his century off 127 deliveries.Jaiswal's innings featured 16 fours and two sixes, with two consecutive boundaries off Dean Foxcroft taking him to three figures. His stay ended shortly afterwards, though, as cramps forced him to receive medical attention.

On resuming, he attempted to drive Danru Ferns but chipped the ball to mid-off, departing for 102. JAISWAL FINDS FORM AT RIGHT TIMEThe back-to-back centuries mark a significant turnaround for Jaiswal, who had endured a difficult run in red-ball cricket heading into the New Zealand series.

The 24-year-old managed just 77 runs across three innings during India's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August and had not scored a half-century in the format since then. His struggles continued on the New Zealand A tour, where he began with scores of 17 and 5 in the first unofficial Test before registering a four-ball duck in the first innings of the second match.

He had also fallen for a 13-ball duck in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh.Jaiswal had recorded four ducks in nine innings since the Sri Lanka tour, making his recent turnaround particularly timely. His unbeaten 155 in Christchurch was his 18th first-class century and took him past the 5,000-run mark in the format.

He now has 5,145 first-class runs at an average of 53.59, with 18 hundreds and 18 fifties. The 102 in Lincoln has given him another valuable innings in the middle before the two-Test series begins on November 19.

Sai Sudharsan provided stability at the other end, reaching his second half-century of the series. Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for 15 after edging Gibson behind, while Dhruv Jurel joined Sudharsan before rain brought an early end to the day's play.The India A squad also features several members of India's Test set-up, including Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Prasidh Krishna.

Jaiswal's return to big scores will be an encouraging development for the visitors as they prepare for the Test challenge.- Ends