“17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal went to Rajasthan Royals. This is the first time a teenager is going to Rajasthan not to prepare for IIT JEE,” a tweet read.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 2.40 crores which is a huge deal for a young aspiring batsman.
The 17-year-old Mumbai based batsman sold paani puris before getting selected for India’s U19 World Cup squad. Yashasvi became the youngest Indian batsman to score a double century in a List A game when he hit 203 off 154 balls including 12 maximums and 17 boundaries for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His total of 564 runs during the tournament at an average of 112.80 made his case for bigger platforms.
Jaiswal is a shopkeepers son who came to Mumbai about 6 years ago to create a career in cricket. He lived in a tent adjacent to the Muslim United Sports Club Ground till he was 14 years old and sold paani puris at the Azad maidan for a living.
In a video uploaded on the icc.com, Yashasvi was seen speaking about his struggles. He said,“I love cricket and playing the sport gives me immense joy and pleasure. I used to watch Sachin Sir bat and from that time onwards, I wanted to be in Mumbai and represent Mumbai.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal also spoke about how his father couldn’t break his urge to stay in Mumbai and make a name for himself and the hardships of coming out of a poor financial situation. Jaiswal didn’t shy away from mentioning his embarrassment when he served Pani puris to his friends.
“I used to feel so bad because I would score a century in the morning and in the evenings, I used to sell pani-puris. It didn’t matter whether it was a small job or not, that job itself was important for me. Yet, my only focus was on cricket,” he added.
However, he regards his coach ‘Jwala sir’ who asked him to concentrate on the game and also took care of all his necessities. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s selection for the Vijay Hazare meant his introduction in the cricketing circuit of India.
Now, this player will play with the best players in the world and will be coached by some brilliant minds. Yashasvi Jaiswal will look to gain experience and have a good IPL season in 2020.
