India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour said that the young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has the potential to play for India for the next 10 years ahead of the second Test against West Indies. Jaiswal made the most of the opportunity that came to him in his debut Test. He took on the bowlers, didn’t panic, and managed to hold on to his nerves throughout his 501-minute innings. His impressive knock of 171 laid the foundation for the victory against West Indies in the two-match Test series at Windsor Park.

Rathour was impressed with Jaiswal’s performance in the first Test after he followed up on his successful IPL 2023 season with Rajasthan Royals.

“I’ve been a selector before, so whenever you pick a player you should pick him with the intent that he will play for India for the next 10 years. He definitely has the potential. For me the most important thing (even though) I haven’t worked with Yashasvi before, was that I had seen him scoring runs at the IPL, you saw how dynamic a batsman he is, the kind of stroke player he is. But he managed to change the game according to the situation of the team,” Rathour said in a press conference ahead of the second Test.

Jaiswal took his time on the crease before he went on to open his account and then shifted gears to reach the three-figure mark on his Test debut. However, one thing that came to notice about his ability to play against his natural game.

On the second day of the first Test against the hosts, Jaiswal didn’t go to play his usual self before lunch. He took time and scored a few runs after facing almost 90 deliveries.

Rathour lauded Jaiswal for his change in approach and said, “On the second day, he scored some 20 runs off 90 balls before Lunch. I think that for me was the highlight of the innings. Somebody who is able to do that, who can play against his character, his normal game, get through that phase and then score big runs, it was phenomenal to watch. Absolutely no doubt that he has great potential and great future with the Indian team in all three formats,” Rathour added.

India will face West Indies in the second Test on July 20 at the Queen’s Park Oval.