Amir Jangoo Arrives In India At 29 After Late West Indies Surge

Amir Jangoo has arrived on his first India tour at 29 after a late surge that has already included an ODI debut hundred, a Test double-century at North Sound, a first-class title with T&T and a CPL final-winning fifty in Barbados.

A delayed dream finally reaches India

Jangoo had once imagined a much earlier route into West Indies colours, planning as a teenager with Trinidad & Tobago U17s and U19s that he would be in a West Indies kit by the age of 25.

That target passed without the breakthrough he wanted, but Jangoo told Cricbuzz on the sidelines of the ODI series that the period between those years brought “a bit of a struggle”.

When he crossed 25, he said he changed how he looked at the game: “You know what, just enjoy the game. Just be grateful that you're getting to play for your country, playing first-class cricket”.

Cricbuzz reported that by the time Jangoo finally broke into the West Indies team in 2024, he had mentally rewired himself to never give up.

He had watched younger players enter the setup before him, and he recalled thinking: “You know what, I think I'm better than these guys. I think I could do better than these guys. I think my ability is better, it's just I didn't have the performances in”.

The waiting years made the moment feel urgent, and Cricbuzz wrote that once the maroon kit was on, Jangoo did not wait.

Batting at six on ODI debut, he made a 79-ball century after what Cricbuzz described as a decade on the waitlist.

In June, he struck a Test double in a world-record partnership at North Sound.

That double-century was his third first-class century, and all three had been converted into doubles.

A month before that, his runs had shaped T&T’s first-class title, ending a two-decade drought.

Earlier this September, Jangoo was posing with the CPL trophy in Barbados after scoring a final-winning fifty.

Three days after that CPL triumph, he touched down in India.

Jangoo said he had long wanted the chance to play cricket in India and measure himself against players he admired.

“I always wanted to play cricket in India, against the greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, even Shubman Gill. Playing against these guys, it's a dream come true," he said.

From geography to the West Indies dressing room

If cricket had not worked out, Jangoo would have become a teacher of geography.

He also holds a degree in the subject.

His love for cricket began by watching his father play in Trinidad.

“He used to play what you call gully cricket here,” Jangoo told Cricbuzz with a laugh.

Both his parents worked in a bank, while his elder sister practices law.

After enrolling at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, he followed what Cricbuzz described as the conventional path in an unconventional occupation.

That path ran through age-group cricket, the U19s and professional cricket.

The climb after that was not straightforward, and Jangoo said: “From there, it took nine years to get into the international team”.

As a left-hander growing up in T&T, Jangoo’s first idol was Brian Lara.

Cricbuzz reported that his eyes light up when he is asked about a game few recall from 2019, when he kitted up alongside Lara in an exhibition match on his home ground.

His batting, according to Cricbuzz, carries fragments from two other left-handed idols as well.

The report compared his aerial square cut in Trivandrum to a touch of Kumar Sangakkara from the 2000s.

It also described a whipped six off the same bowler as a shot of the kind Quinton de Kock excels at.

Virat Kohli breaks that lineup of left-handers among Jangoo’s influences.

In Trivandrum, Jangoo had what Cricbuzz called the bittersweet treat of watching Kohli in rollicking flow.

Learning a new international role

Before watching Kohli’s innings in Trivandrum, Jangoo had shots of his own to show as he repaired an innings hurt by Kuldeep Yadav’s tricks.

He is still adjusting to the finer nuances of playing in the middle order after enjoying the luxuries of top-order batting for a good few weeks at the CPL.

“It’s a new role for me in internationals, batting at five,” Jangoo said.

He added: "They know that I can do a job in the middle.

So, for me, it's all about understanding the game scenario.”

Cricbuzz reported that his years of rigour have made him open to changes in role.

Before Covid, he played for Windward Islands at No.4 and 5.

When cricket resumed in the region, he earned a keeper’s spot with Trinidad in Joshua de Silva’s absence.

That role meant batting lower down the order, but it also shaped his game against spin.

“Batting at that position, in different scenarios, I really honed my skills there,” Jangoo said.

Those experiences matter to his present role because he is now being asked to understand game situations in the middle order for West Indies.

Reworking himself for T20 cricket

The year 2020 was the first time Jangoo got a taste of T20s.

Just half a decade later, he had made his way into the T20I side.

That move required broad adjustments to his natural style.

Cricbuzz reported that Jangoo reconfigured himself while chasing the goal of becoming an all-format player suited to the demands of the day.

Living close to the Queen’s Park allowed him to spend “countless days and nights doing plenty of range-hitting”.

“I've been playing the CPL maybe seven years, but I wasn't really much of a T20 player,” he said.

“For me, it was understanding, ‘OK, well, I want to play all three formats. I know I'm a good enough batsman to do it’,” Jangoo said.

He knew he could play spin well, but he had to work on the pace of his batting.

He did several drills to develop faster hands for T20s.

Cricbuzz described T20 as an area of growth for him, and Jangoo recognises that he does not have the natural physicality of some of his contemporaries.

“I was learning how to hit the ball behind square, use the pace of the ball. Obviously, I'm not one of the stronger guys to clear the ropes at will,” he said.

“For me, it's more about using the pace of the bowlers. And when I do work on my power shots, I just try to execute them as best as I can,” he added.

Jangoo will not play the India T20Is, but Cricbuzz reported that his bigger ambitions are not confined by formats.

“I want to play for the West Indies and for as long as possible until I retire,” he said.

Ambitions shaped by Shai Hope and one-day cricket

Jangoo looks to his ODI captain as an example for the player he wants to become.

“I just want to be someone like Shai Hope, who is such a great force in 50-over cricket,” he said.

“I want to dominate Test cricket and 50-over cricket for sure for the West Indies,” Jangoo added.

Cricbuzz described that as a rare partiality towards a white-ball format facing an identity crisis in the age of quick T20 gigs.

Jangoo still trusts the future of ODI cricket.

“I think ODI cricket is what really started… you can see all the greats winning World Cups and stuff like that in the past,” he said.

“And I think it has a big part to play in the cricket calendar to be fair,” he added.

He said he wants to “really dominate and find my place and be cemented in that role that I have right now and to just keep doing well for the team”.

His comments on one-day cricket come at what Cricbuzz described as a testing time, with West Indies missing a chance to qualify automatically for the World Cup.

After the New Zealand series had sealed their fate, Jangoo said the team did not deserve to play the Qualifiers.

From within the side, he sees a team making strides and putting up their hands.

“Even in the series, you will see better performances from the guys and that'll give us good confidence going into the Qualifiers,” he said.

“Going forward, we build on this, build on the Qualifiers, most likely we should qualify and then go to the World Cup, putting some good performances in and anything can happen from there,” Jangoo said.

“We want to compete with the Indias, with the South Africas, with Australias in the world,” he added.

Franchise cricket can wait

For many players, Cricbuzz reported, the chance to compete with the best in the world has come through the T20 franchise route.

Jangoo has not played in any league aside from the CPL yet.

Someday, he would like to bat alongside Virat Kohli or Quinton de Kock for a franchise team.

For now, he is putting his focus firmly on West Indies cricket.

“I think IPL is the pinnacle of T20 cricket,” Jangoo said.

Cricbuzz reported that he picks out RCB as a team he follows.

“But for me, it's all about, ‘I want to dominate international cricket’,” Jangoo said.

“I want to know that every time we have an international series, I'm one of the main guys, I'm the one that's doing well,” he added.

He said he believes leagues will follow if he performs for West Indies.

“And I think from there, leagues take care of themselves after that. So, no (preferred) league specifically, but for me, just doing well for the West Indies and then whatever comes after that, the franchise cricket comes,” he said.

The patience behind the progress

Life has become busier for Jangoo, but when he gets a break from sport, he likes to retreat to his house and relax with family.

Cricbuzz reported that cricket is not the only “C” in his life, because Jangoo is also a collector of colognes and a big Chelsea supporter.

The cricketer he is now, however, is defined by the toil of his twenties.

That toil took him to his dream and also built the tenacity that Cricbuzz says finds space in his batting.

“It wasn't the easiest road to get to international cricket, but it's something I'm grateful for,” Jangoo said.

“Because I got to learn a lot about myself,” he added.