Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has said that Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the player to look up to when India take on West Indies in a three-match ODI series beginning Sunday, September 27, in Thiruvananthapuram.
Jaiswal has served as India’s back-up opener and impressed whenever chances have come his way. The southpaw has scored two hundreds in six ODIs, providing a reliable option behind captain Shubman Gill and veteran Rohit Sharma.
With India all set to face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series at home from September 27, Pathan is keen to see how the Indian think tank manages Jaiswal’s chances, ensuring the southpaw gets enough game time and doesn’t enter the 2027 ODI World Cup short of match practice.
“There is one player who I will keep
an eye on in this series. He is Yashasvi Jaiswal. Eager to see how many opportunities he gets, especially in this one-day series in front of the West Indies,” Pathan said while speaking on Star Sports.
“See, one thing is sure: Jaiswal is your backup opener. He is your third opener right now. By the time you reach South Africa (for the ODI World Cup), it should not be that the backup opener you have hasn’t got ample opportunities,” Pathan added.
With India sending a full-strength T20I team to defend their Asian Games gold medal, the ODI series against the West Indies will see a few new faces, including Naman Dhir, who has earned his maiden India call-up, Auqib Nabi, who has received his first ODI call-up and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has also been included in the team.
“Shreyas and Axar and Washi (Washington Sundar) are playing the Asian Games, so they aren’t there. It is a huge chance for the rest of the players. It is like a second team where a lot of players are being tried,” Pathan said.
