New Delhi [India], October 11 : Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja believes the future of Indian cricket is in good hands, considering the fashion in which the youngsters have stepped up, taking the responsibility from the seasoned stars.
India's transition phase intensified after batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bid adieu to the Test format in May. The captaincy baton was passed down to Shubman Gill, making him the youngest Test skipper in the history of Indian cricket.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir-led regime infused young blood into the squad for the testing tour of England for the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in June. Gill led the side from the front with his bat, topping the run-scoring chart in the series as India returned home with a memorable 2-2 draw.
In his first home assignment, Gill notched a fifty during the opener in Ahmedabad and outfoxed the West Indies twice with his tactical prowess as India revelled in an innings and 140 runs victory. During the second fixture, he dazzled with an unbeaten 129(196) and deployed his bowlers effectively to leave the West Indies dazed at 140/4.
Apart from Gill, the flamboyant opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and the composed Sai Sudharsan (87) flaunted their robust technique to make a strong impression. With youngsters stepping up on the platform when the stakes ran past the roof, Jadeja sees it as an ominous sign for the future of Indian cricket.
"As a team and as a captain he is performing, so he is getting a lot of help from the team because if the captain is giving such a good performance, England performed well in the whole series, in the first match he performed 50, here 100, so I think the young generation takes responsibility on their own, like Jaiswal also has a lot of runs in the last 2 years," Jadeja told reporters in the post-day press conference.
"So I think the youngsters who are coming now take responsibility on their own, they don't leave it on someone else, so it is a good thing for Indian cricket that they are used to playing such a long innings, so I think it will be very beneficial for Indian cricket in the future," he added.
The veteran all-rounder has been handed the vice-captaincy role in the absence of Rishabh Pant. Jadeja isn't dwelling on the leadership tag, but is instead focusing on helping youngsters improve their skill set. He even disclosed that left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Jaiswal have approached him with their queries.
"I don't think about the captain or the vice-captains now, I think that time has passed a long time ago. Now, as much as possible, the team needs, whether it is batting, a youngster comes and talks to me, like Kuldeep comes and asks about bowling, so what do I think, and what do I think, I give my opinion," Jadeja said.
"In batting, like sometimes Jaiswal comes and asks, if any youngster comes and asks, then I tell him that this is what I think, this can happen. He can do this, according to the wicket, according to the condition, where he is playing, all that," he added.
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