India vs West Indies: Blessed to play with Virat Kohli, says Yashasvi Jaiswal

Indian cricket team opener Yashasvi Jaiswal believes he’s ‘blessed’ to be able to play alongside living-legend Virat Kohli at the very onset of his career.

It’s always great to watch him (Virat Kohli) bat and bat alongside him. He’s a legend and I’m blessed to play with him. It’s wonderful to go out with him and learn from him. There is a lot to learn from him, to keep watching what he does outside the field and on the field. It’s a pleasure to talk to him and learning from him.”

Kohli scored 87 runs on the opening day’s play and is within touching distance of a 29th Test ton in his 500th international match appearance. India endured a rocky post-lunch session to stand at 288/4 at stumps.

Jaiswal, who scored a century on Test debut in the first fixture, feels it a luxury that he can learn from coach Rahul Dravid, Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma to improve.

“Everyone has their own way of telling things, and everyone has experience. So I’ll listen to everything that’s said and see what suits my game and try doing that. If I’m around people who are experienced, and they are talking, there is some thought behind it. I really like to hear them and try seeing what suits my game and try to develop my game. Getting information, experience and learning from them – small stuff – is incredible.”

West Indies opted to field after winning the toss and had a challenging time against the Indian opening duo of Jaiswal and Rohit. They scored 139 runs for the opening wicket before the left-hander fell to Kirk McKenzie for 57 runs while chasing a delivery outside the off stump.

“Of course I’m disappointed, but it happens in cricket,” Jaiswal said. “I’ve to keep learning and make sure what I can do the next time I come in that situation. It’s okay, it’s cricket.

“Every time the desire is to ensure how well I can contribute and play well for the team. That’s the thought in every match – to set a good platform for the team.

“Whenever I bat, I always try to bat for long. There’s of course disappointment when we get out. It’s cricket, we need to keep learning what we can do next time. It’s always a pleasure to play for the country, to enjoy the pressure, to enjoy the situation, enjoy the wicket, the environment.”

Jaiswal and Rohit had stitched a 229 run stand in the opening Test and 139 runs now providing a perfect platform for the rest of the batters to join.

“It’s really nice to bat with Rohit bhaiya. We always talk about the situation, how we can go forward. Ofcourse, we have our plans. It was really amazing to bat with him,” he added.