Journey has been long, but it's just the start: Yashasvi Jaiswal

ROSEAU : Young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal said the journey so far has been long and arduous for him and the ''Player of the Match'' award in his debut Test was ''just the start'' of many more future success stories. Jaiswal showed in the first Test against the West Indies here that he belongs to the highest level, with the southpaw scoring 171 runs on debut and sharing a 229-run partnership with skipper Rohit Sharma.

Jaiswal became only the third Indian to score 150 on debut and his big break came after sensational performances in IPL and domestic cricket.

India defeated the West Indies by an innings and 141 runs here to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series on Friday.

The BCCI posted a short video on social media on Saturday, which showed 21-year-old Jaiswal walking back to his hotel room after collecting his 'Player of the Match'' award.

''It felt very nice getting the Player-of-the-Match award on debut. It's been a long journey, feeling very happy and good about it,'' said Jaiswal as he climbed the stairs on way to his hotel room.

''Let's see what the future holds for me, this is just the start (of my international career). Pray to God that I continue playing like this, keep making (such) efforts and keep contributing for the team,'' he added.

The young cricketer then placed the trophy on a table in his room and thanked everyone for the success.

''Thank you so much in the end. This will be a memorable moment for me. Thank you God, thank you guys for your love and support,'' he added.

Earlier, Jaiswal while receiving the trophy, had said that playing a Test for the country was an ''emotional moment for him'' and thanked chief coach Rahul Dravid for his advice.

''We prepared pretty well. Spoke a lot to Rahul Dravid sir and learned from him. Would like to thank all the selectors and Rohit (Sharma) sir for having faith in me. It's really nice, I have been working on this. ''Playing Test cricket for India is very special and emotional. This is just the start, I need to keep my focus and keep working on my cricket. Lots of people helped me through my journey and I want to thank each and every one of them,'' he said.