India, Sept. 21 -- Some young batters announce themselves through spectacle. The bat comes down hard, the ball disappears frequently, and their gifts are immediately obvious. Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan appears to be taking a more intriguing route. His appeal lies not merely in how forcefully he can strike the ball, but in how naturally he seems to understand the changing demands of an innings.

That was the most revealing aspect of his 122 against Australia Under-19 in Rajkot on Monday. Chauhan reached 53 from 53 balls before finishing with 122 from 100, meaning his final 69 runs arrived from only 47 deliveries. The innings was not played at one relentless tempo; it was consciously reshaped as the contest evolved.

India were already well ...