Optimism is a faith that leads to achievement’ holds completely true for 17 yr old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who sold Pani-Puri to make his dream come true. His story has become an inspiration for lakhs of youngsters who lag for one or the other reasons.
Yashasvi is the youngest cricketer ever to hit a double hundred in List A cricket and has been bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 2.4 crore to play in IPL 2020.
The 17-year-old boy from Suriya village used to sell Pani puri and lived in tents in Mumbai to make his ends meet. But poverty didn’t stop him from chasing his dreams.
The youngster said his father runs a paint shop, and the money wasn’t enough for his career. So he used to watch cricket after selling pani puri. He further added, he met Pappu sir at Azad maidan where he sued to go to watch cricket for a chance for many days. And finally, one day sir said “‘tu Aaj khelega” ( You will play today), and if he performed well, he would be given a tent to stay in.
He considered an opportunity he was looking for long and performed well and got the tent.
His family is very happy to see him grow. He said he always wanted to make them proud and will always do.
Guidance under Rahul Dravid
Yashasvi got a chance to learn the game under India’s batting legend Rahul Dravid’s guardianship at NCA in Bangalore for the U-19 world cup. The young boy had full-fledged batting tips from the Cricket legend before departing to South Africa for the mega event.
‘One ball at a time’- is what has been taught by Dravid. He also said to treat every ball as important. “Whenever I visit NCA, I meet him and tell him where I lack and what problems I am facing. He as a solution for everything. He is a great mentor. Honestly, my game has improved a lot because of his guidance.”, Yashasvi said
He further added, “he congratulated and hugged me after my call up.”
“I just want to go and perform for my country. I have worked a lot on my fitness and trained well at the NCA. I practiced and trained under Rahul sir and took a lot of tips from him. I am sure we will bring the Cup home” the 17-year-old said.
Yashavi is a left-hander and takes inspiration from the god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar. Yashvi has improved his batting by watching his battling videos, especially his knock against Australia in Sydney test 2004, when he scored a double century without playing a single cove drive. And he wants to excel in the art of cover and straight drives the way Tendulkar used to do.
The inspiration and guidance from Sachin and Dravid changed Yashasvi’s approach towards the sport.
This big-money move has made his father delight and said he is happy that his son’s hard work for years has finally paid off.
“His hard work is paying off. I hope that he will perform well in the IPL and would get a chance in the Indian side. I am extremely happy. It is not about money.”