Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was mighty impressed with debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal on the opening day of the ongoing first Test against West Indies in Dominica. On debut, the left-handed batter from Mumbai remained unbeaten on 40 runs which he scored with the help of six fours. The southpaw batted with patience but also displayed shades of aggressiveness which caught the attention of onlookers.
Ashwin lauded Jasiwal's composure with the bat and said that he wished a long career for the young Mumbai batter with prodigious talent.
"He just reverse swept the first ball of the last over! That's what you can expect from him. He is very vibrant, hope he goes far. From our side, we hope to keep the environment good for him," said Ashwin.
India dominated the opening day of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica on July 12 (Wednesday) and took control of the game. The Windies' batters surrendered in front of India's spin duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who combined to pick eight wickets on the opening day.
The veteran right-arm office bagged a five-wicket haul, his 33rd in Test cricket, and Jadeja chipped in with three wickets as the hosts were bundled out for just 150 runs. In reply, Indian openers captain Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched an unbeaten 80-run partnership before stumps of Day 1.
Ashwin reflected on his performance on Day 1 and also shed light on the nature of the pitch which appeared to be significantly dry on the opening day.
"Pretty good performance. There was moisture in the pitch in the first session. It got slow and started to spin a bit more. It got a lot more slower. Personally enjoyed my first spell and had to adapt a bit more after. Not surprised with the pitch, expected it to be a bit dry. In my previous tours of West Indies, when it spins, it also tends to be slow," Ashwin said.
"It is the most important trait to be an international cricket. With so many leagues, we can get carried away with league performances but international cricket is all about getting better all the time," he added.
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WI vs IND: West Indies batters surrender to Indian spinners on Day 1, Ashwin bags five-fer, Jaiswal nears half-century on debut
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