‘It's a tribute to the domestic system’ - Rahul Dravid lauds Team India’s Youngsters’ performance ahead of 2nd Test vs WI

On 20 July 2023, India are set to take on West Indies in the second game of the ongoing two-match Test series in the Port of Spain. They won the first match convincingly and hence, they will look for another win for a clean sweep. However, youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test debut and won the Player of the Match award for scoring 171 runs.

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Seeing another youngster making an instant mark, head coach, Rahul Dravid came up with applause and gave all the credit to the domestic system of Indian cricket. On the eve of the second Test, he said: "It's a tribute to the domestic system. It's a tribute to the environment around the team that a lot of young players are able to come in and perform straightaway.” 

“Teams will get to know them better.” - Rahul Dravid

“A lot of credit should go to the domestic system for producing these kind of players, especially in the batting department, and also the relaxed environment the team here has been able to create to allow young players to come and express themselves,” he further added.

"So it's nice from our perspective as a coach to see young players come in, perform straightaway and do really well, whether it's Yashasvi in the last game or the way Shubman has grown over the last six-eight months or seeing the way Ishan came in and kept in the last game on a difficult wicket, he did a really good job. So there's been a lot of young players, we've seen even in one days and T20s, who've come through and done really well. So yeah, credit to our domestic system, NCA and a lot of other people who can make that possible for us," Dravid said. 

"I know people like Jaiswal and Gill will be faced with tougher challenges as they go on and play more cricket. Teams will get to know them better. Even in this Test, we'll see the West Indies probably come up with tactics and strategies having seen Jaiswal in the last Test match, and they'll respond to that,” Rahul Dravid concluded.