“What stands out for me is the hunger he has to score runs” - Deep Dasgupta reflects on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s debut Test ton

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta termed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s hunger to score runs as the standout aspect of the young cricketer. Dasgupta added that the 21-year-old has displayed exemplary discipline and temperament en route to scoring a Test hundred on debut.

Jaiswal notched up a ton on his Test debut on Day 2 against West Indies in Dominica on Thursday. Resuming his innings on his overnight score of 40, the southpaw returned unbeaten on 143 off 350 balls, hitting 14 fours.

The youngster added 229 runs for the opening wicket with skipper Rohit Sharma (103 off 221 balls) as India ended Day 2 in Dominica at 312/2, responding to West Indies’ first-innings total of 150.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Dasgupta praised Jaiswal and commented:

“What stands out for me is the hunger that he has to score runs. We’ve seen that in domestic level. I think he has got eight hundreds (nine) in 15-odd games, so obviously that hunger was very evident here as well. Even though he is batting on 140-odd, but he still wants to score more. Let’s not forget, it’s not been easy to score runs on this surface. He’s been quite disciplined from that perspective.”

The former India keeper added:

“He’s played 350-odd deliveries. That’s a testament to his fitness, his temperament and his hunger to score as much as possible.”

The Rohit-Jaiswal stand was broken immediately after the Indian captain crossed three figures. Shubman Gill (6) fell cheaply, but Jaiswal and Virat Kohli (36*) added an unbroken 72 runs for the third wicket.

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“He never lost his calmness” - Dasgupta on Jaiswal’s temperament

During the discussion, Dasgupta also hailed Jaiswal’s temperament, stating that the youngster did not lose his cool even when batting wasn’t easy after the ball got soft.

The 46-year-old elaborated:

“Yesterday [Day 1], the stump mic volume was pretty high and when the ball was kind of old, I heard him saying, ‘I am trying, but the ball is so soft, I can’t hit it hard enough as much as I try’. Even though it was kind of frustrating, he never lost his calmness, his composure. That says a lot for somebody who is so young at the highest level. Not just international, but if you look at his first-class experience as well, it’s not been long.”

Thanks mainly to Jaiswal and Rohit, India have managed to build a lead of 162 runs. They will look to stretch the lead to a big one on Day 3 to ensure they don’t have to bat for a second time.