Cricket News: Tagenarine Chanderpaul - A touch of nostalgia, but a player with a lot of potential

As you can doubtless surmise from his surname, he is the son of legendary West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul. But he’s not in the team due to his surname – far from it. 

And watching him bat in the first Test against Australia, it became evident that the selectors were keen to draft him into the squad. 

If there’s one word that can be used to describe Chanderpaul Jr’s batting style, it’s gritty. He won’t score at a rate that will make casual fans sit up and take notice. 

But what he’s good at is hanging in there and taking his chances when it comes – much like his legendary father. 

There are parallels to how both father and son first played their first Test in Australia. Back in 1996 was when Shivnarine played his maiden Test Down Under. 

And he made 82 off 230 deliveries after watching the Aussies put up an imposing total of 479 in the first five sessions. 

Similarly, Tagenarine came in to bat when Australia had scored 598 in five sessions, only this time; it was at Perth. 

And watching the debutant bat evokes memories of his father. From that familiar open stance to his late approach to playing the ball, it’s all there. 

But again, the keyword for Chanderpaul is grit. During the first Test, he survived blows to the body taking on an imposing Australian pace bowling attack featuring Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. 

He copped one particularly nasty shot to the groin, which doubtless had more than a few people wincing. He even took a blow to the body while trying to duck one ball acrobatically. 

Yet the key was that he stuck around. And the longer he batted, the more he looked like a player ready for the rigours of Test match cricket. 

It might have surprised a few fans, but it didn’t shake his captain, who predicted big things in his future. 

“He (Tagenarine) is a fighter so it isn’t surprising, so it’s good to see,” Kraigg Brathwaite said after the second day. 

“I knew for a while playing against him that he always fights, for he always takes his time and bats long periods. It is no surprise; I think he has a bright future for the West Indies. 

“He’s going to be special. He’s going to do a great job. I look forward to batting with him for many years to come.” 

Whether this prophecy will come true is debatable, given West Indies’ low standing in Test cricket and the lack of red-ball cricket they play at the international level. 

But it does look like Chanderpaul can carve out a decent career for himself regardless – and ensure that both the Chanderpaul name and technique live on more extended in the longest format of the game.