The 17-year-old boy Yashasvi Jaiswal is the new cricket sensation who has been recently selected for India U-19 squad on their upcoming tour in Sri Lanka. However, his life story is very emotional and inspirational that shows how hard he fought to come in this level.
According to The Indian Express, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the younger son of a small-time shopkeeper in Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, who came to Mumbai to exploring his cricketing career. But it was not an easy path for Jaiswal as his family’s financial condition was not so good enough.
At the beginning of his Mumbai journey, Jaiswal was thrown out of a dairy shop where he slept daily. He was just 11 years old at that time, and later, his uncle Santosh helped him to find a shelter which was the Muslim United Club’s tent at the Azad Maidan ground in Mumbai.
Though Santosh had a house in Mumbai, it wasn’t big enough to provide one extra person. As a manager of Muslim United Club, Santosh requested the owner of the club to allow the young boy to stay in the tent with the groundsmen.
Talking about that time, Jaiswal said, “This was after I was asked to leave the dairy at Kalbadevi. After playing cricket the entire day, I would get tired and go to sleep. One day, they threw out my luggage saying I do nothing, don’t help them and only sleep.”
It was the young boy’s home for the next three years. Though his father sent some money occasionally, it was not enough for him. He even had to sell pani-puri during the Ram Leela in Azad Maidan and also to help sell fruits.
Speaking about that, Jaiswal said, “During Ram Leela, I earned well. I prayed that my teammates would not come there for pani-puri. Sometimes they did and I would feel bad serving them.”
The young boy had to cook his own food, otherwise, he had to spend with an empty stomach.
Jaiswal said, “I always used to see boys my age bringing food or their parents had big lunches with them. As for me, it was — khana khud banao, khud khao. (make your own food, eat alone). No breakfast. Catch hold of anyone around and request them to buy breakfast.”
While he did his lunch and dinner at the tent, his job was to make rotis.
Talking about that, he further added, “Every night used to be a candlelight dinner. After all, there was no electricity.
“I would miss my family and would cry. It was not just being homesick but going to the toilet was a hindrance to sleep. There was no toilet at the maidan, and the one near Fashion Street that I used was closed at night.”
Now, he is dreaming to make a good future in the cricketing career as he is known as a brilliant middle-order batsman with impressive temperament.
Mumbai U-19 coach Satish Samant has praised him for his mature cricket, as he believes that Jaiswal will be the next big player from Mumbai.
The coach said, “He has this ability to read a bowlers mind and adapt to a situation. Most under-19 players get tempted to play too many shots too early. He does not. The other thing is, he does not have a smartphone, is not on WhatsApp. This is rare for a teenage cricketer these days. He is cut off from social media. He has talent and if he keeps focus like this, he will be next big from Mumbai player.”
However, Jwala Singh, a local coach, saw Jaiswal’s potential for the first time. Singh has revealed that the youngster has hit 49 centuries in last year.
Singh said on that, “He must have been around 12 years and I saw him facing an ‘A’ division bowler with ease. I could relate to him. When I also came to Mumbai from UP, I didn’t have a house to stay in. No godfather, no guide. He is gifted. He has 49 centuries in the last five years.”
The young boy now stays in a small chawl in Kadamwadi and he remarks it as his palace.
Talking about his old days in the tent, Jaiswal said, “Have you ever stayed in a tent? I bet you can’t stay one day there in summers. It gets very hot, sir. The heat generated by plastic is unbearable. We would often take our sheets and sleep on the open ground. Once, an insect bit me near my eyes and it was swollen. After that, despite the heat, I slept inside.”
The boy has a strong mindset as he feels that the higher-stage cricket is lesser pressure than his long daily life.
Talking about the pressure in cricket, “You are talking about mental pressure in cricket? I have faced it daily in my life for years. Those have made me strong. Scoring runs is not important. I know I will score and take wickets. For me, whether I get the next meal or not, that’s important.
