Yashasvi Jaiswal opens up after his winning double ton in Rajkot
After putting in consistent performances for his domestic team, Mumbai, and Indian Premier League team, Rajasthan Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a remarkable start to his international career.
The southpaw is the leading run-getter in the ongoing five-match Test series between India and England, having amassed 545 runs in six innings at a staggering average of 109. His runs have come at a noteworthy strike rate of 81.10. Having moved to Mumbai from his birthplace in Uttar Pradesh at the age of 12, Jaiswal, who belongs to a humble background, had to fight not just on the pitch but off it as well.
The perseverance of the 22-year-old is now paying off as he has joined an exclusive list of cricketers who have converted their first three Test centuries into 150+ scores. Jaiswal’s most recent knock was an unbeaten 214 off 236 balls in the third innings of the third Test in Rajkot and it helped India register a 434-run win, their biggest in Test cricket in terms of runs.
“In India, when you grow up, you work really hard for each and everything. Even when getting the bus, you have to work really hard to get the bus. You have to work really hard to get to the train and auto and everything and I have done that since my childhood and I know how important every innings is and that’s why I really work hard in my [practice] sessions and every innings counts for me and for my team that is my biggest motivation to play for my country and I just make sure that whenever I’m there I need to give my 100% and then enjoy,” Jaiswal told the host broadcaster on Sunday (February 18).
The opening batter scored his maiden double-century in the second Test in Visakhapatnam but couldn’t follow it up with a substantial score in the first innings of the third Test. India slipped to 33/3 inside the first hour on Day 1 before veterans Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries to help the hosts post a solid first-innings total of 445. Jaiswal wasn’t just sitting and enjoying the partnership between the two seasoned campaigners but also drawing inspiration from it.
“The way Rohit bhai and Jaddu bhai played in the first innings, that motivated me a lot. Because the passion was there, the talk was there, they were really determined to play session-by-session and when I was inside [the dressing room], I kept thinking that when I go there, I have to make it count. The way they were talking about the game, the way they motivated us, I think it’s incredible to see them putting a lot of effort,” Jaiswal stated.
