India began their WTC 2023-25 campaign in an emphatic style, registering a victory by an innings and 141 runs in the opening Test over West Indies in Dominica last week.
Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal played a key role in the win. On debut, the southpaw smashed 171 off 387 balls (16 fours and 1 six) and earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
After his memorable India debut, the 21-year-old is drawing rich praise from the fans and former cricketers alike. Recently, Proteas batting legend AB de Villiers showered compliments on Jaiswal, calling him a "hot prospect for India in future".
"The player who stood out for me was Yashasvi Jaiswal. Right at the top of the order, in his first Test, it does not happen every day that a youngster plays his first Test and scores a century. The first time I saw him play in the IPL, I knew there was something special about him. You could look at him and feel how much time he has to face the ball. He has a lot of time. He is a nice, tall left-hander, the pace is not going to bother him. He has got time to make decisions and play, both against pace and spin. He is a very talented youngster, a very hot prospect for the future for Team India and I am happy to see him score that century in that match," De Villiers said on his Youtube channel.
In the first Test against the West Indies, veteran India spinner R Ashwin once again showed why he is widely regarded as one of the best spinners in the world.
Ashwin ran through the Caribbean batting line-up in both innings, returning with 12 wickets to script India’s thumping victory by an innings and 141 runs. While the ace off-spinner claimed a five-wicket haul (5-60) in West Indies’ first innings, he picked up seven scalps (7-71) in the second essay to bundle out the hosts for a paltry 150 and 130.
With this stunning exploits, Ashwin took his international wickets tally to 709, only behind the great Anil Kumble (953) in the list of most international wickets for India.
AB de Villiers also lauded Ashwin for his stunning exploits with the ball in Dominica.
"He has been unbelievable, not for one or two seasons. He recorded figures of 12/131. I faced him many times, and he always surprised me, impressed me. He has evolved his game over the years to make both left and right-handed batters really uncomfortable. This makes him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) to some. Let him get a few more wickets, then we can surely call him the GOAT. What a bowler, what a match-winner for India,” he remarked.
By winning the Dominica Test, India took an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second Test will get underway on July 20 at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain.
