This comes just before the India vs West Test in Ahmedabad.
Jayden Seales was just 19 years old when he first made his Test debut for the West Indies in June 2021. Since then, he has played only one T20I game, in December last year. The youngster, coming into the two-Test series in India, knows the value of the longest format and wishes to excel in it.
Speaking ahead of the first Test in Ahmedabad, the 25-year-old spoke about his clear vision. In the recent past, world cricket has witnessed international retirements of young players so they could play more T20 leagues like IPL, CPL, SA20, ILT20, MLC, and more. One such popular and shocking name comes from the Men in Maroon – Nicholas Pooran. He hadn’t made his Test debut before he announced his retirement, shortly after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Seales, however, is aware of his balance sheet, but wishes to stick to the central contract.
“I took the contract because I want to play Test cricket. I want to do well for West Indies. And I don’t see the point in me turning down the contract, especially at this age. I want to build my name, I want to build a legacy, I want to be No.1 in Test cricket and lead the West Indies attack for as long as I possibly can. Getting a multi-year contract is a step in that direction.”
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With a rating of 722, Seales is No.12 on the list of the ICC Men’s Best Bowlers in Tests. He is also the best from his country in the top Australia-heavy list, while Shamar Joseph follows two spots below with 681 points. However, the current top bowler is India’s Jasprit Bumrah with 889 rating points.
As much as his bowling coach, the Trinidad & Tobago pacer is hell-bent on climbing up the rankings. Despite recent embarrassing losses, Seales aims to elevate the West Indies to the highest level, and he appears to have devised a way to achieve it.
“I have spoken with Ravi Rampaul. He’s adamant on getting me to No.1. It is about just being consistent throughout every game, every spell. And if I pick up wickets, that helps. It’s a matter of doing the right things for longer and just being a professional through and through and keep improving on my game.”
In his 21-match-long career, Seales already has 88 Test wickets. His credentials include three five-wicket hauls and four four-fers. He has bowled at a controlled economy of 3.40 so far.
In his only T20I against Bangladesh, Seales returned wicketless while conceding 18 runs in two overs. Talking about T20 leagues, the pacer has featured in six seasons of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) since 2020. After five seasons with the Trinbago Knight Riders, Seales represented Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in CPL 2025. He scalped 10 wickets in as many outings for the Falcons.
Previously, he has played one edition of the Lanka Premier League in 2021-22, taking 15 wickets in seven games for Jaffna Kings.
Participating in the ongoing India Test, Seales opened the bowling innings for the West Indies after the team was bundled out for 162.
Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican, Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jediah Blades, and Jayden Seales.
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