Yashasvi Jaiswal was batting on 90 when Jwala Singh, his childhood coach who was sitting in the stands in Potchefstroom, wished: “I hope Yashasvi completes his century, remains unbeaten and scores the winning runs for the country.”
Too much to ask from an 18-year-old? Not when he is in red-hot form.
Yashasvi scored 105, stayed unconquered and hit a six to bring up the winning runs for India colts in their U-19 World Cup semi-final match against Pakistan on Tuesday. India won the match by 10 wickets.
With one century, three half-centuries and an average of 156, Yashavsi is on fire. How did he prepare for the big challenge?
“Even before the U-19 World Cup began, the spotlight was on Yashasvi. I thought it might put pressure on him. I asked him to stay away from TV, newspaper, Internet and of course, social media. Instead, I told him to spend more time at the ground. He did that and now he has got the result,” Jwala told The Telegraph from Potchefstroom, a city in the North West Province of South Africa.
“Yashasvi is a fighter. In difficult circumstances, the best comes out of him. An India-Pakistan game is always very different and difficult,” Jwala said.
Recalling how his association with Yashasvi started some seven years back, Jwala said: “When Yashasvi came to me, he was just 11 years old. His life at that point was not very smooth. He used to sell pani puri with his father. He always dreamt big, but never opted for shortcuts. There were days when he didn’t have proper sleep at night, but he still came for training at the right time. He was very focused and determined from the beginning,” the proud coach said.
Praising his ward, Jwala added: “He was picked by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL players’ auction for a whopping Rs 2.40 crore, but even that didn’t affect him. He remains down to earth as usual.”
Yashasvi was getting good starts, but was unable to reach the three-figure mark. That worried Jwala. “I met Yashasvi after the quarter final against Australia and told him that he must get a hundred. I told him to divide his innings in two parts, basically in two fifties.
“Now he has scored an unbeaten hundred against Pakistan in the U-19 World Cup semi-final… What more can you expect! He needs to continue the good work. The most important match would be next one — the big final,” the coach said.
Former U-19 star Prithvi Shaw, who has now graduated to the senior team, also trained under Jwala. Asked whether Yashasvi too has the potential to play Test cricket, Jwala said: “I do not want to compare Yashasvi with Prithvi. Every player is different. But if Yashasvi continues playing like this he will definitely reach the next level. For that he needs to work harder and I am sure he will definitely do that.
“I want to see him as a successful all-rounder. Today, he not only scored a hundred, but also took the important wicket of Haider Ali.”
Yashasvi looks well on track to fulfil his coach’s that wish too.
