Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal got his first double-century against England in the second Test on Sunday at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. Jaiswal scored 209 runs off 290 deliveries, accounting for the majority of the home team’s 396 runs. It was Jaiswal’s second Test century, after scoring a brilliant 171 against the West Indies on debut last year.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, living true to his name and reputation, became the third youngest Indian to achieve a Test double ton on Saturday, behind Vinod Kambli and Sunil Gavaskar, during the second Test against England at Visakhapatnam. On his Test debut against the West Indies, he smashed an imperious century to make history.
Early Life of Jaiswal
While Yashasvi enjoys the fame he well deserves, nothing came easy for him. He had to work hard not just on the cricket pitch, but also in other facets of his life, to pursue his ambition of playing cricket. Jaiswal arrived in Mumbai, the ‘city of dreams’, at a young age, harboring hopes of playing cricket for India. Coming from an economically disadvantaged household in Uttar Pradesh, Jaiswal worked as a ‘panipuri seller’ to make up his income and cover his costs.
He had to spend the evenings in tents on Mumbai maidans due to a lack of room at his uncle’s small home in the Mumbai slums. However, coach Jwala Singh recognized this young kid, who was attempting to make the most of his limited opportunities on the Mumbai maidans, and took him under his wing. Jaiswal was mature and strong-willed from an early age due to the daily struggle and personal challenges.
The child worked hard to improve his talents and ultimately fulfilled his ambition of representing his nation at the highest level. Jaiswal’s remarkable path is yet another rags-to-riches story, and he is a live example of how ‘dreams do come true’ when pursued with all your heart.
Career’s Steppingstone
The left-handed batter’s first stride towards success came when he scored an incredible 319 runs and grabbed 13 wickets in a multi-day Haris Shield competition, one of Mumbai’s best school-level events. He has not looked back since. He scored a lot of runs at school before moving on to the Mumbai U-16 and U-19 squads. This led to his selection for the Indian U-19 squad in 2018.
During his debut tenure with the national squad, the graceful batter scored the most runs and led India to victory in the 2018 U-19 Asia Cup. Jaiswal’s desire for runs was incredible. He appeared invincible, dominating the hitting rankings in nearly every competition. The southpaw ended with the highest score in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 as well.
By now, he had established himself in domestic cricket, scoring massive runs for Mumbai in both the Ranji Trophy (the major domestic tournament) and white ball games. On the strength of these achievements, he was selected by the Rajasthan Royals for Rs2.4 crore in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
This type of money seemed insane to someone who had previously lived in tents, but Jaiswal had gone a long way in life by then. Despite his youth, he had little regard for fame or money. Jaiswal went down the most difficult pathways, and all he wanted was to play cricket at the greatest level.
“Money does not matter to me. It was only crucial that I had the opportunity to play in the IPL. Money is a byproduct of your success. If you do well in any field, you will get some reward, but to get a good reward, you need to keep working hard and following the right processes,” Jaiswal said after the IPL 2020 auction.
Career Building Stage of Jaiswal
Jaiswal struggled early in the IPL, but he remained positive. He focused on his basics and consistently improved his game. IPL-2023 became a turning point moment for him. He received the Emerging Player of the Season Award after scoring 625 runs in 14 matches. Jaiswal not only scored those runs but also scored them at a staggering rate, including a record 13-ball fifty. He went at the bowlers from ball one, making him the talk of the cricketing community.
His constant performance and years of hard effort paid off as he got his Test cap against the West Indies in July 2023. Jaiswal’s desire to run was unusual. He refused to settle for less. His debut in international cricket was spectacular—he scored a whopping 171 in his maiden encounter, becoming the 17th Indian batsman to achieve a century on debut.
He also made his debut in T20Is. Jaiswal has already made an impact in his brief international career. He set the stage with a maiden century in T20Is during Asian games representing India. He never looked back after that and had impressive as well as impactful innings in the shortest format of cricket. He had made his spot permanent in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Currently, he is at 6 position in the ICC Men’s Rankings in T20 cricket.
The young guy plays T20 cricket with a different approach and Test cricket with a different attitude. His adaptability and temperament towards the game is really different from other players which eventually makes him standalone among other players.
