West Indies coach Daren Sammy has expressed high praise for India’s emerging talent Yashasvi Jaiswal, asserting that the young opener appears “ready” for international cricket based on his standout performances in First-Class cricket. Jaiswal’s remarkable innings of 171 runs in Dominica played a crucial role in India’s victory in the first Test by an innings and 141 runs.
Sammy commended the strong foundation of Jaiswal’s skills, attributing it to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the quality of First-Class cricket in India, along with the nurturing resources that have contributed to the development of players like Hardik Pandya and others, according to the West Indies legend.
With a touch of playful banter, the 39-year-old Sammy playfully noted India’s recent dearth of international trophies. India’s last ICC trophy victory dates back to 2013 when they clinched the Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. Although India has twice reached the final of the World Test Championship, they finished as runners-up on both occasions, including the recent 2023 edition.
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During the same period, India reached the semifinals of the ODI World Cup in 2015 and 2019. In contrast, the West Indies secured T20 World Cup titles twice, in 2012 and 2016, under Sammy’s leadership, a fact he humorously highlighted. Sammy spoke exclusively to Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel, lauding players such as Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Sanju Samson, who have impressed him during the ongoing Caribbean tour.
Darren Sammy humorously remarked, “When you see the players they’ve been able to produce, Hardik Pandya, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, all the guys they produced over the years, but you must also remember who’s winning the international tournaments.” He further emphasized, “Like I said, Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson who didn’t play, he’s been performing. Hardik Pandya who’s young but he is seasoned in the team. Again, it speaks of the system they have that keeps producing these youngsters.”
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Regarding Jaiswal’s outstanding performance, Darren Sammy noted, “Jaiswal has 1800 runs in First Class cricket in nine matches, nine hundreds, and then he comes to Dominica in his debut game and he looks like he belonged at the international level. That comes from the standard of First Class cricket in India that is allowing the youngsters that when they come in to be ready for international cricket.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal has indeed accumulated 2111 runs in First-Class cricket in just 17 matches, including an impressive 10 centuries and three fifties. His highest score stands at 265, with a remarkable average of 81.19. While Jaiswal faced a setback on his T20I debut, he remains determined to leave a lasting impact in the remaining two T20I matches.
