“Very first time I watched him play in IPL, I thought there’s something really special” - AB de Villiers on Yashasvi Jaiswal

Former South African batter AB de Villiers has stated that he knew Yashasvi Jaiswal was a special talent when he watched him bat for the first time in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Reacting to the Indian opener scoring a hundred on his Test debut, De Villiers commented that Jaiswal seems to be someone who has a lot of time to play the ball.

Jaiswal, 21, made a stunning Test debut against West Indies in Dominica. Opening the batting with Rohit Sharma, he scored 171 off 387 balls, hitting 16 fours and a six. The Indian opening duo added 229 in the first innings as the visitors went on to win the Test by an innings and 141 runs.

Reviewing Jaiswal’s brilliant performance on his Test debut, De Villiers showered praises on the left-hander.

The South African said on his YouTube channel:

‘It’s not every day that a youngster comes out in a Test match in his very first game and scores a hundred. The very first time I watched him play in the IPL, I thought there’s something really special. You can always look at the guy and how much time he has while facing the ball. He’s got time when he’s playing. The pace of the ball is not going to bother him. Even when he’s playing spin, it looks like he’s got time.”

Predicting a bright future for Jaiswal, the 39-year-old added:

“He just looks like he’s got time to make decisions while other players might seem rushed. He’s a very talented youngster and hot prospect for the future for India. I am very happy to watch him score a hundred in that first Test match.”

Jaiswal has only played 16 first-class matches so far but has scored 2016 runs at an average of 84, with 10 hundreds.

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“He’s not a one-trick pony” - Aakash Chopra on Jaiswal

According to former India opener Aakash Chopra, while Jaiswal has made a great start to his Test debut, he has the potential to be a successful all-format player.

While making an appearance on De Villiers’ YouTube channel, Chopra recalled interacting with the Indian youngster a few years back and said:

“When I interviewed him [in 2019], I was very sure that this guy has a phenomenal future ahead of him. He was humble, very down to earth, understood that it requires a lot of hard work, but then he was also absolutely convinced - 100 percent confident that he was going to make it. I was quietly confident about his future. Now, I am really bullish after the debut Test hundred that he’ll have a fantastic international career as well across three formats. He’s not a one-trick pony.”

Apart from Tests, Jaiswal has also been named in the Indian T20I squad, which will take on West Indies in a five-match series from August 3 to 13.