Former Australian cricketer and former Indian head coach, Greg Chappell praises India’s infrastructure and planning at the domestic level. He highlights the importance of a good domestic infrastructure and how it plays a key role in India’s dominance in world cricket.
In his column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell used Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal as an example. He focused on the southpaw’s story of being India’s premier opener across formats and credited the domestic system for identifying and nurturing young talents at grassroots levels.
In his column, he wrote, “Jaiswal’s journey encapsulates why India’s planning and infrastructure give them a clear edge in world cricket.”
The former cricketer also highlighted Rahul Dravid’s role at the junior (u-19) level. He points out the difference in game awareness between India U-19 and other countries.
“India’s system prioritises long-form cricket at the youth level. This ensures players are well-versed in the nuances of the game. When India’s U-19 team plays other countries, it often feels like men playing against boys in terms of game awareness”.
Chappell further writes, “The lack of competitive matches at a young age leaves Australian players less prepared for international needs. Without significant changes, we risk falling further behind”.
Yashasvi Jaiswal will inherit Indian batting excellence like Sachin and Virat Kohli: Greg Chappell
Talking about Yashasvi Jaiswal, Chappell said that the young Indian opener is set to inherit India’s batting excellence following the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. He credits India’s domestic structure which prepares young talents to showcase their skills on the international level.
On comparing India’s domestic infrastructure with Australia’s, Chappell says it’s ‘illuminating’.
“A comparison with Australia’s Nathan McSweeney is illuminating. At 22, Jaiswal has already played 14 Tests, 30 first-class matches, 32 List A games, and 53 IPL matches. In contrast, McSweeney, 25, has just debuted in Tests, with fewer domestic appearances across formats”, he mentions.
