The astonishing, inspiring and quick success of youngsters like Yashaswi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan at the highest level is a good advertisement for the country’s robust domestic circuit which has made them “cricket smart” who can handle Test match pressure, reckons India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Jaiswal is just six-Test old but the 22-year-old Mumbaikar already has two double hundreds under his belt. His expressive and fearless batting against a strong England side has earned him praise from the pundits of the game and fans alike.
His Ranji teammate Sarfaraz too has made a confident start to his Test career, scoring pacy half-centuries in both his innings in Rajkot on debut.
Sarfaraz had scored a monumental 439-run knock as a 12-year-old in a 2009 Harris Shield match, hinting at a bright future.
“It is good for the team but it’s better for them. Once you get to this level and start playing Test cricket, everything said and done, there are nerves, there is some pressure, but if you get a good start, nothing better than that,” Rathour said on the eve of the fourth Test against England.
“And the young players who have come in the team have got a good start and it feels good. They have cricket intelligence in them, which is again a great sign. It’s a great message, coming from Indian domestic cricket, that the new players are cricket smart.” Their performances have come at a time when Virat Kohli is not part of the gruelling five-match home series, KL Rahul could play only one game and Shreyas Iyer has been dropped for lack of form.
