From selling street food to dazzling India debut, cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal scripts rags-to-riches story
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Yashasvi Jaiswal of India celebrating his century during day two of the First Test between West Indies and India at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica, on Thursday.
PHOTO: AFP
ROSEAU, Dominica – From selling street food in Mumbai to winning the Player of the Match award on his Test debut, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is international cricket’s latest rags-to-riches story.
India thumped West Indies by an innings and 141 runs inside three days in Roseau, a victory set up by Jaiswal’s 171, which helped the visitors rack up 421-5 before they declared their innings.
It was a stellar display by the 21-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, who moved to Mumbai when he was 12.
There he would sell pani puri, a traditional Indian snack, for pocket money and sleep in tents until a coach took him under his wing.
The left-handed batsman has impressed in domestic cricket and was named Player of the Tournament in the Under-19 World Cup in 2020, after which the Rajasthan Royals splashed out 24 million Indian rupees (S$386,300) to sign him for the Indian Premier League.
With India looking for a left-right combination at the top, especially after Shubman Gill requested to move down to No. 3, Jaiswal was picked to partner captain Rohit Sharma and the debutant impressed immediately at Windsor Park.
“I used to think about playing for my country when I was young,” Jaiswal said after collecting his Player of the Match award.
“Emotional moment for me but this is just the start.”
“A lot of people have helped me in this journey. I want to thank each and everyone... I want to thank the selectors and captain for showing faith and allowing me to express.”
Rohit said he never doubted Jaiswal’s talent and, during their opening partnership, kept telling the debutant that he belonged at Test level.
“We knew about it (his talent). He’s shown us in the past couple of years that he’s ready for this big stage,” Rohit said.
“He came and batted sensibly, showed a lot of patience, and the temperament was tested as well.”
“In the middle, it was just about having a chat, letting him know, ‘You belong here’.
“That is the most important thing, because when you’re playing your first Test match, you kind of keep asking yourself whether you belong here or not.”
Meanwhile, India have picked a strong women’s squad for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead a second-string men’s side.
Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the women’s team, with star batter Smriti Mandhana named vice-captain.
Bowlers Richa Ghosh and Rajeshwari Gayakwad return to the squad after being left out of India’s tour of Bangladesh, while Titas Sadhu and Kanika Ahuja earn their first call-ups.
With the 50-overs men’s World Cup kicking off two days before the end of the Asian Games cricket competition, India’s men’s squad is significantly weaker than the women’s team.
Cricket has been part of the Asian Games programme twice, but India did not participate both in Guangzhou in 2010 or in Incheon four years later.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed India’s participation earlier in July.
The Asian Games, which had been postponed a year due to Covid-19, are from Sept 23 to Oct 8. REUTERS
