Roseau (West Indies): Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took his 33rd five-wicket haul on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies, praised debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying the left-handed batter is extremely talented and a vibrant cricketer.
Ashwin's figures of 5/60, helped the visitors bowl out Windies for a partly 150 and then they ended the day at 80/0, with skipper Rohit Sharma batting on 30 with Jaiswal, who remained unbeaten on 40 when stumps were drawn at the Windsor Park.
Also read: 1st Test: Ashwin's five-for puts India in command on Day 1; Windies bundled out for 150
"Jaiswal is a vibrant cricketer, extremely talented. I hope he goes on to do great things in his career. I think we're going to see some special performances from him," Ashwin, who became the third Indian bowlers to claim 700 international wickets, told reporters at the post-day press conference.
The 36-year-old Chennai-born Ashwin then explained how adapting to the pitch conditions played a key role in the initial phase of the game. "Thought it was a pretty good performance. There was a bit of moisture on the pitch earlier but it started to spin later. Saw on the TV as well that it turned more later. Had to adapt early. It was a bit dry, have to get the pace right to trouble the batsmen. International cricket is all about adapting to different conditions," added Ashwin.
During the opening day, Ashwin also achieved the rare feat of becoming the first Indian bowler to take wickets of a father-son duo. While on the first day, the seasoned offie dismissed Tagnarine Chanderpaul at 12 (44), son of West Indian legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul, he had dismissed the senior Chanderpaul on his Test debut in 2011.
The story of Jaiswal is of rags to riches. Once he sold 'Pani Puris' for a living in his hey days when he migrated to Mumbai, but made his way to the national team on the back of impressive performances in domestic cricket and the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).
