Published 13:00 IST, December 13th 2019
Yashasvi's tough life-innings; Read about his struggle on how he made it to U-19 WC squad
Yashasvi Jaiswal spoke about the struggles that he had to go through when he started playing cricket at Azad Maidan to ICC. He will be in Indian U-19 WC squad
- SportFit
- 4 min read
Yashasvi Jaiswal will be an integral part of the Indian squad in the upcoming ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 which is scheduled to be played in South Africa. He will be expected to make it big as India not only aim to retain their title but will also be looking to win their fifth world title at the U-19 level. Meanwhile, the youngster has come forward and spoken about what made him fall in love with the sport during his recent interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Yashasvi Jaiswal on what made him take up the sport
''I love cricket and playing the sport gives me immense joy and love. I used to watch Sachin Tendulkar play and from that time onwards, I always wanted to be in Mumbai and represent Mumbai.''
The youngster then went on to say that when he had come to Mumbai along with his father, he used to visit Azad Maidan and loved playing cricket there.
''I started practising at Azad Maidan but my Dad said let's go back home (Uttar Pradesh) but I said that I will stay here and play for Mumbai. So I took all my stuff and went to Azad Maidan'', he added.
Jaiswal then said that when he had been there, there was a match happening and he was told that if he performed well in that match then he would be provided a tent to stay in. He played the match, performed really well, and got to live in a tent.
However, life was not easy in the tent for young Yashasvi as there was no light or toilet. Apart from that, he also had to brave weather conditions. During summer, it was too hot and during monsoon, water would find its way into the tent. Even though it was not easy for the 17-year-old to stay there but the positive intent of playing cricket was the only thing that was going in his mind.
'These struggles never bothered me': Yashasvi Jaiswal
''These struggles never bothered me and my focus was solely on cricket. During those times, I didn't get much support from my family on monetary front. So, I used to sell Pani Puris in the evening and earn some money. It was an embarrassing situation for me when the players whom I used to play with would come to have Pani Puris at the shop I worked in. I used to feel bad because I would score a century in the morning and in the evenings, I would 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.''
The Mumbai batsman then mentioned that he was tired of doing all this and he did not know what to do. There was a revival in his fortune when he met Jwala Sir while practising at Azad Maidan. Jwala asked what he did and where was he living and then asked to meet him.
''After that, my life changed. I didn't have money to buy food and I didn't have a place to stay. However, Sir told me to just focus on cricket and that he would take care of everything else. I got selected to play for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019. I went for the match and created the record (Youngest batsman to score a double-hundred in List A cricket. I was very ecstatic and I thanked God. This is just the start. I just need to focus on the process and the result will come on its own.''
The video of this interview was also posted by the governing body of international cricket on its official Twitter handle.
Updated 15:09 IST, December 13th 2019