Yashasvi Jaiswal has come a long way from staying in a tent at Azad Maidan to scoring a century in the ICC U19 World Cup 2020 semifinal. The gifted southpaw is on his way to bigger and better things with his future, and the best part is that he hasn’t even begun yet.
Career
Domestic career
Jaiswal’s journey began when he was just 11 years old, seven years back. Jaiswal, who was born in Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Mumbai with a heart full of dreams. But it wasn’t just cricket that consumed his time; he also had to work hard to make a living because his mum, who owns a shop in Bhadohi, struggled to feed his two sons. In the day, Jaiswal practised or played, and in the evening, he sold pani puri before staying in one of the groundsmen’s tents.
Jaiswal first achieved prominence in 2015, when he was inducted into the Limca Book of Records for scoring 319 not out and taking 13/99 in a Giles Shield match, a school cricket all-round record. After that, he was picked for the Mumbai under-16 side, followed by the India under-19 team.
Jaiswal’s stock started to increase, and at the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, which India won, he was named player of the tournament. After that, he managed to show off his bat skills in the Youth Test against South Africa and the tri-series in England.
He first caught the interest of the mainstream media in 2019. When Jaiswal batted 203 off 154 balls for Mumbai against Jharkhand, he became the youngest cricketer to score a double century in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.
The 17-year-old was the third person to accomplish the feat, but it was his demeanour and incredible ability that drew attention. Jaiswal scored 564 runs in six innings, including 25 sixes and 49 boundaries, for an average of over 112 runs per innings.
Jaiswal was eventually appointed to the U-19 World Cup team, and the young batsman has made the most of his chances. With an unbeaten 105-run knock to defeat arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets, the young batting prodigy made headlines.
He cemented his place in Indian cricket circles by guiding India to the U-19 World Cup final in February of this year, scoring 400 runs in just six games.
IPL Career
The left-handed opener’s good performances helped him win a major payoff when the Rajasthan Royals bought him for INR 2.4 crore in December’s player auction. Now that Ajinkya Rahane has been dealt to the Delhi Capitals, Jaiswal has a chance to take over as the team’s opener. And a strong showing in the IPL 2020 could pave the way for him to join the India A squad and beyond.
Background
Yashasvi Jaiswal comes from a low-income household. His father used to own and own a small hardware shop, but he couldn’t make ends meet. Yashasvi moved to Mumbai at the age of 11 to fulfil his dream of playing for the Indian cricket team. His father didn’t deter him from leaving because he couldn’t support his family of four and their house couldn’t support another male.
Yashasvi’s only relative in Mumbai was an uncle he hardly met. His uncle lived in Worli but was unable to host him due to the size of his residence. As a result, he landed him a job at a dairy where he could work and sleep.
Yashasvi used to go to school and then play cricket by herself. He didn’t have much stamina left at the end of the day because of his strict schedule, and he used to sleep when he was scheduled to work. As a result, he was ejected from the dairy because he just slept there.
He began to play casual cricket after being accepted into the club. To make ends meet, he used to sleep in the gardeners’ tent on the field and sell fruits and pani-puri in the evenings. He will always go out to lunch with his cricket club mates and ask them to cover his expenses.
Jwala Singh, the local coach, once saw him when he was practising in the nets. Yashasvi soon moved in with Singh, who looked after him, supported him with all he wanted, and educated him on a daily basis. He also urged Yashasvi to participate in athletic events.