'Ponting and Karthik said this lad can play...': Nasser Hussain raves about India youngster

It would be a bit too early to pit Yashasvi Jaiswal as an all-format opener for India but the left-hander, in his first international series against the West Indies, has done enough to put that seed of thought in the selectors' mind. And when legends like Ricky Ponting and former captains like Nasser Hussain give a stamp of approval then it only justifies the buzz. Jaiswal broke into the Indian side on the back of a stellar domestic season that saw him become the first cricketer to score a double century and a century in the Irani Cup and an equally good IPL 2023 in which he scored 625 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 163.61.

That he is a left-hander became an added advantage as Jaiswal earned his maiden Test and T20I call-up for the West Indies tour. It wouldn't have surprised anyone if he was picked for the ODIs too but considering the fact he is not in consideration for a World Cup berth, the selectors decided to give more game time to the ones who are, understandably so.

But after India's debacle in the World Test Championship final to Australia, there were always going to be openings in the Test side. The same for the T20I unit as India would want to test as many new talents as possible before next year's T20 World Cup.

And Jaiswal did quite an impressive job in both formats. The left-hander smashed 171 - which is the highest score by any debutant in the West Indies - in his maiden Test in Dominica. He backed that up with rapid-fire 57 and 38 in the second Test in Port of Spain.

When it came to the T20Is, he had to wait as India preferred the opening combination of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill. Jaiswal finally got his T20I cap in the third match in Guyana. But the outing was not as fruitful as his first Test. The 21-year-old was dismissed for 1. But those who have seen Jaiswal bat in T20 cricket knew that he would come good sooner rather than later.

The world didn't have to wait long. Jaiswal hit a blistering 84 not out off 51 deliveries in the fourth T20I to return with the Player of the Match award. His 165-run stand with Shubman Gill was the highest opening partnership for India in T20Is.

Yashasvi Jaiswal gets Ponting and Karthik's nod

Former England captain Nasser Hussain, like many others, was impressed with Jaiswal. Hussain said he had a discussion about Jaiswal with Ponting, the Delhi Capitals coach, and Dinesh Karthik, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both Ponting and Karthik had good things to say about Jaiswal, who plies his trade for the Rajasthan Royals.

"From what I've seen...he's (Jaiswal) made a fantastic start. You speak to people who have seen him in the IPL, again I've been working with Ricky (Ponting) and Dinesh (Karthik) came over, and you ask questions, and they all go, yeah, this lad can play," Hussain said in ICC Review.

The former right-handed batter said Jaiswal has a solid technique coupled with a good positive that shows how good India's domestic structure is.

"He looks to have the technique and he looks to have that mindset. Like most young Indian players and batters in particular, most of them come in and have immediate success. And that is a good sign for first-class cricket, that they are being produced, not just the IPL," he added.

Jaiswal will next be in action in the three-match T20I series against Ireland starting August 18.