Having observed Yashasvi Jaiswal's growth closely, Jwala Singh had an unwavering belief that he would excel when given the opportunity to represent the national team. As the former coach, he is delighted to see his protege proving him right.
In the ongoing first Test against the West Indies in Dominica, the 21-year-old displayed his remarkable talent by becoming the 17th Indian to score a century on debut in Test cricket.
On the second day of the match, Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 143 from 350 balls, which gave India a substantial lead of 162 runs in the first innings. This commendable feat came after the West Indies had been dismissed for a mere 150 on the opening day in Dominica, after which Jaiswal and Rohit (103) hit centuries in an opening stand of 229 runs.
"I am happy to see him grow. I had some feeling that he would start well. He has spent four good seasons in the IPL and also in domestic cricket. He has played most of the world-class bowlers under a lot of pressure, especially in the IPL,” Jwala, who was in transit in the UK when Jaiswal brought up his century, told PTI.
"He has the idea about playing with top-quality bowlers. As a player, it is important to have the habit of making runs. As a coach I always teach my players to see the ball and not the bowler, and try to react to the ball well.
"There will always be nine fielders, whatever match you play, whether it's T20 or one-day or Test. As a batter, you need to be in the present and face each and every ball on merit and believe in your ability. I am glad that Yashasvi is able to do this on the ground and is proving me right."
At the age of 10, Jaiswal relocated to Dadar in Mumbai to pursue cricket training at the Azad Maidan.
Continuing a remarkable trend, Jaiswal became the fourth consecutive Mumbai-born batsman to achieve a debut Test century for India. This exceptional accomplishment places him in the esteemed company of Shreyas Iyer (against New Zealand in 2021), Prithvi Shaw (against West Indies in 2018) and India captain, Rohit Sharma (against West Indies in 2013).
"I think this will be a very good start in international cricket, but he needs to keep it simple. As a player it is important to do your best for the team, scoring runs for the team is a job for any player, and then look ahead," Jwala said.
(With PTI inputs)
