From selling street food in Mumbai to winning the Player of the Match award on his Test debut at Roseau, Indian opener Yashaswi Jaiswal is the latest rags-to-riches story in international cricket. India crushed the West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in three days, with Jaiswal’s 171-run victory leading the visitors to 421-5 before their innings was declared. It was a brilliant performance by the 21-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, who moved to Mumbai at the age of 12. There he would sell the traditional Indian snack ‘pani-puri’ for pocket money and sleep in tents till the coach. He was taken under his wing.
The left-handed batsman impressed in domestic cricket and was adjudged Player of the Tournament at the 2020 U-19 World Cup, after which he was signed by Rajasthan Royals for INR 24 million ($292,508) in the Indian Premier League. .
With India looking for a left-right combination at the top, Jaiswal was picked to partner captain Rohit Sharma, especially after Shubman Gill was requested to drop at number three, and the debutant immediately impressed at Windsor Park.
“I thought about playing for my country when I was young,” Jaiswal said after winning his Player of the Match award.
“Emotional moment for me, but this is just the beginning.”
“A lot of people have helped me on this journey. I want to thank each and every one of them… I want to thank the selectors and the captain for showing faith and letting me perform.”
Rohit said he never doubted Jaiswal’s ability and kept telling the debutant that he was at Test level during their opening partnership.
“We knew about it (his talent). He has shown us in the last two years that he is ready for this big stage,” Rohit said.
“He came in and batted sensibly, showed a lot of patience and character was tested.”
“In the middle, it was about having a chat, letting him know, ‘You’re here.’
“That’s the most important thing because when you play your first Test match, you keep asking yourself whether you belong here or not.”
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff, but was automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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