Indian head coach Rahul Dravid showered praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal after the rookie batter scored a magnificent knock of 171 runs in his maiden Test innings. Jaiswal showed all the patience in the first innings of his International career as he faced a total of 387 balls.
The left-hander also became the third-highest scorer on Test debut for India after Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Jaiswal gave a perfect start to the visitors as he added a gargantuan alliance of 229 runs with skipper Rohit Sharma, who went on to score 103 runs.
Dravid was delighted to note that Jaiswal played according to the match situation and showed that he can play with an attacking approach as well as defensive.
“I was very pleased to see that he was willing to play an attacking game when required, but also knuckle down and be defensive and work hard for his runs when required. As a coach, nothing pleases you more than that,” the head coach Rahul Dravid said in the press conference.
Dravid admitted that young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will be tested by the opposition when they will spend more time at the top level. Gill had failed to grab his chance with both hands at number three in the opening Test as he was dismissed after scoring only six runs.
“I know that Jaiswal and Gill will face other tougher challenges as they play more and more cricket. Teams will start getting to know them better. The challenge for Jaiswal [and Gill] is to respond to the tactics and strategies that West Indies is going to come up with in this game.”
The former Indian captain added it is good for the team that the youngsters are performing straightway. Jaiswal showed he has the skills to go a long way in his career whereas Shubman Gill has had a magnificent 2023 so far.
“It’s nice from our perspective, as a coach for me, [for players] to come in and perform straightaway and do really well – whether it’s Yashasvi in the last game or the way Shubman has grown over the last 6-8 months. Even seeing the way Ishan [Kishan] just came in and kept in the last game – on a difficult wicket, he did a really good job.”
Dravid gave credit to the domestic system for giving the right platform to the youngsters and making them ready for the top level.
“A lot of young players are able to come in and perform straight away when they come into the Indian team. A lot of credit of that should also go to the domestic system, producing these kinds of players, especially in the batting department. Also, the relaxed environment that the team has been able to create allows young players to come in and express themselves.
The second Test match between India and West Indies will be played from Thursday onwards.
