The auction for the next edition of the Indian Premier League concluded on Thursday in Kolkata. While the franchises seemed to have trusted the overseas stars more than the domestic talent this time around, they also have invested in young talents. The prime example is Rajasthan Royals bagging 17-year-old Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal for INR 2.4 crore. Yashasvi has also been chosen for the U-19 World Cup scheduled to be played next year.
How did he come to limelight?
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Left-handed batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal made headlines for the first time in 2015. In a Giles Shield Cricket Tournament match, Yashasvi scored a brilliant triple hundred. He also picked 13 wickets. The highest score and the highest wickets by a player in a school-level tournament- both these records are owned by the talented teenager.
In addition, Yashasvi produced a 154 ball 203 run innings in 2019 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, becoming the youngest Indian to score a double hundred in List A Cricket.
A journey full of struggles
Born in a lower-middle-class family in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, Yashasvi wanted to be a cricketer since his childhood days. To realise his dream, he migrated to Mumbai as an 11-year-old. However, he could not get a proper place to live in Mumbai.
In an interview, Yashasvi admitted that he came to Mumbai wanting to make a career out of the game he loved. He lived in a tent where there was no facility for electricity, water or toilet. He did not even have money to spend either. He then started selling Pani Puri to get money for day to day expenses. He would play cricket in the morning and then sell Pani Puri in the evening.
3 years, 51 hundreds
Yashasvi’s childhood coach Jwala Singh has been an ardent fan of his talent since early days. Jwala, in fact, spotted him bat when the southpaw was an 11-year-old kid. Yashasvi was, in fact, playing an A division bowler with relative ease. Someone then told Jwala about the hardships that the little boy was going through, that he had no coach, he stayed alone in the city and he cannot afford a proper place to live.
Jwala Singh then decided to train this kid and he is sure than in the last three years, Yashasvi has smashed close to 51 tons across all competitions and tournaments that he has featured in. He has also picked up more than 300 wickets. Although IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals has bought him for 2.4 crore, his coach insists that it is only the beginning and he may soon get to play in the Indian Cricket team and make his country proud.
