XtraTime Web Desk: The cricketing journey of Yashasvi Jaiswal is no less an inspiration for many budding cricketers in the country. Coming from a humble background in Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh, Yashasvi has made his dream turn into reality. All eyes will be on this promising youngster of Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). For a young cricketer who sold pani-puri to make a living and ending up earning a whopping 2.4 crore, is a perfect example of rags to riches story.
Hailing from Suriyawan, Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, Yashasvi was one of the six children in the family. His father Bhupendra Jaiswal was an owner of a small hardware store while his mother Kanchan Jaiswal was a housewife. But a young Yashasvi always had the knack of playing cricket since childhood. At the age of ten, Bhupendra sent his son to Mumbai to realize his dreams. He admitted him in one of the coaching centres at the Azad Maidan. Since it was difficult commuting daily from Dadar to Azad Maidan, Yashasvi relocated himself to Kalbadevi neighbourhood where he stayed in a dairy shop in return for low-grade work. But soon he was removed by the shopkeeper as he was unable to provide much help at the shop in between his cricket training. Having no place of his own, Jaiswal stayed in a tent with the groundsmen at the Maidan, where he often slept hungry and sold pani-puri to make ends meet. It was only then his uncle managed to find a place at Muslim United Club where he started playing regular cricket. It was just the beginning of his hardships. After living in tents for three years, Jaiswal’s cricketing talent was spotted in December 2013 by Jwala Singh, who ran a cricket academy in Santacruz. Singh took Jaiswal under his wing and provided him a place to stay. Yashasvi’s days would end making rotis at the club tent under candlelight.
Yashasvi first came into limelight in 2015 when he scored 319 runs and took 13 wickets in a Giles Shield match which earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records. Following this performance he was selected for the Mumbai U16 & U19 squads. His biggest moment came when he was the highest run scorer (318 runs) at the 2018 U19 Asia Cup. It was his performance that helped India win the tournament. Jaiswal, who made his first class debut for Mumbai in the 2018-19 seasons kept performing at the domestic circuit. He became the youngest cricketer (17 years and 292 days) to score 203 runs off 154 balls against Jharkhand in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match. He was one of the top five run-getters in the tournament, scoring 564 runs in 6 matches at an average of 112.80. A string of good performances earned him a place in the 2020 U19 World Cup in New Zealand. Yashasvi was once again the leading run scorer for India and his knock (105*) against Pakistan in the semi final was worth mentioning.
In the 2019 IPL auction held in Kolkata, Yashasvi was picked by Rajasthan Royals for 2.4 crore to play in IPL 2020. With strokes all around the wicket, Yashasvi Jaiswal will look to grab the opportunities with both hands in his maiden IPL stint.