His maturity stood out: Robin Peterson explains how Marco Jansen developed as a cricketer

Latest South Africa pace sensation, Marco Jansen has made headlines after picking up 19 wickets in the three match Test series. Jansen’s tall frame and angles troubled the Indian batters and he was to go-to man for the South African captain Deal Elgar when something needed to be done. The debutant finished the series as the second highest wicket-taker in the series just one behind Kagiso Rabada. 

Former South African spin-allrounder Robin Peterson spoke to journalist Anand Vasu about mentoring Jansen from a young age and stated that the lanky left armer’s maturity sets him apart.

“Often you’ll find young kids can bowl well with the new ball but they don’t really know what to do once the ball has gone a bit soft. With his discipline and what he did with the old ball, he was miles ahead in terms of maturity. That stood out. The more I got to know him the more I realised he’s got a lot of heart and fight in him. When things get tough he generally stands up. The mentality is that of a winner. He’s competitive,” Peterson told Vasu.

He further went on to say that Jansen caught the eye of Rahul Dravid when he came to play in India for the U-19 team. The former international stated tha this height and frame made him stand out from the rest of the people and Jansen is an asset that can go long for South Africa.

“Firstly the physical attributes. He’s two metres tall and delivers the ball at pace from height. What caught my eye is his accuracy. He could sustain his pace for a long time,” Peterson added.