Mark Waugh backed a young Indian batter as a future Test great, praising his technique, consistency, and early achievements. Michael Vaughan disagreed, favouring England’s Harry Brook, as numbers strongly support Waugh’s bold claim.
Former Australian batter Steve Waugh picked an Indian star who could become the future greatest batter in Test cricket during Day 4 of the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025 series between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday, January 7.
Currently, the likes of Joe Root, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Virat Kohli are often considered the ‘Fab 4’, who have dominated the Test arena for over a decade. Kohli retired from his illustrious career in May 2024 after amassing 9230 runs and 30 centuries, while Root, Smith, and Williamson continue to compete at the highest level, consistently shaping their matches and maintaining their places in the elite list of Test cricket.
However, the cricketing world is already looking for the next generation of stars, with some having already made their mark in the international arena, especially in Test cricket, and Mark Waugh believes that the young Indian batter is expected to become a red-ball batting great.
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‘There’s Something Special About this Kid’
Speaking on Kayo Sports, Mark Waugh was asked to pick the next greatest Test cricket batsman. The former Australian batter, without any hesitation, picked young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal as the future Test batting great, praising his consistency and technique, while highlighting his achievement at the age of 24, scoring a double century and an average of just below 50.
“I reckon there’s three in the run. Jaiswal, Brook, and Ravindra from New Zealand. Well, I’m going with Jaiswal. At 24 years of age, he’s already scored a double hundred and averages just under 50,” the twin brother of former Australia captain Mark Waugh said.
“There’s something special about this kid. So I’ve got him down, Jaiswal, as the next champion batsman of the elite group. Look at him. Brilliant player. So that’s my pick, the young Indian,” he added.
However, former England captain Michael Vaughan disagreed with Mark Waugh and picked Harry Brook as his choice for the next Test batting great, citing his all-round credentials and belief he’ll produce extraordinary innings over the next decade.
Brook is currently part of the ongoing Ashes 2025 series, where he is the second-leading run-getter for England, amassing 358 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 39.77 in 10 innings.
Why Yashasvi Jaiswal Could Be the Next Test Batting Great?
Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2023, scoring a century in the first innings of the opening match, and since then, he has cemented his place in red-ball cricket. The turning point of his Test career came when he had a breakthrough series against England at home, where he amassed 712 runs, including two double centuries and three fifties, at an average of 89.00 in five matches.
Thereafter, Yashasvi Jaiswal has maintained consistency in Test cricket, which can be evidenced by his performances in the tour of Australia and England in 2024 and 25, respectively. The 24-year-old was India’s standout batter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series Down Under, amassing 391 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 43.44 in 10 innings across five matches.
Jaiswal had displayed even better performance on the England Test tour, aggregating 411 runs, including two centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 41.1 in 10 innings across a five-match series. Yashasvi Jaiswal played Tests in South Africa during a two-match series, but failed to deliver as he scored 50 runs in 4 innings. The young batter is yet to be tested in New Zealand conditions.
Though the 24-year-old is yet to prove himself consistently across all overseas conditions, his technique, temperament, and hunger to score big runs, especially daddy hundreds, make him potentially the next batting great in the longest format of the game.
Since his Test debut in July 2023, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the leading run-getter for India, amassing 2511 runs, including seven centuries and 13 fifties, at an average of 49.23 in 28 matches. He is the only Indian batter since his debut in Test cricket who has managed to score 2000 or more runs, underlining his remarkable consistency and rapid rise as one of India’s most prolific red-ball batters in recent times.
