Follow UsThe boy from Bhadohi is yet to put a foot wrong in his debut Test knock. This, despite spending over 10 hours in the middle, on what has been a slow and low surface. His first class record notwithstanding, this has been some start to his international career.
Born into a family of limited means, things haven’t come easily for Yashasvi Jaiswal. On his way to an unbeaten 143 at the end of Day 2, he became the youngest Indian to score an away century and also holds the record for the most balls faced by a debutant since 2000.
“It feels great, it was an emotional moment for me. I enjoyed it a lot, but I’m still batting and the focus is to play for the team and play as long as possible. I’m still early in my career, so I will try to be as focused and disciplined as possible,” Jaiswal said at the end of day’s play.
His rise to the top might seem like a classic rags-to-riches story that everyone loves to hear. What we don’t hear much is the amount of effort the young southpaw has put in to ensure he’s able to deliver consistently.
Coming from the fabled Mumbai “Khadoos” school of batting, he showed that he has a lot more in repertoire than the havoc he wrecked in the recently concluded IPL that saw him score over 600 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 163.
By his own admission, there’s still a lot to achieve and this seemed more like a reminder to himself than to us. His repeated emphasis on playing for the team shows the kind of character he is.
“How I prepare myself mentally, and then physically when it comes to diet and discipline that I follow strictly and I try to be in good shape. I always try to play according to what the situation is and how I can contribute and play for my team. What sort of shots can I play to further my team’s cause. So yeah, just keep trying to play match winning knocks I guess.
“Of course, it was really emotional for me and my family. And everyone who’s supported me in this journey. It’s been very long and difficult, and I thank everyone who has supported me in any way possible at different stages of my life. I’d like to dedicate this knock to my parents, who played a huge role in my life. I don’t have a lot else to say. I’m happy, but this is still the beginning and there’s lots to be done.”
When asked about being just 57 shy of becoming the first Indian to score a double century on Test debut, he left it just as well as he had a couple of hours ago in the middle. Getting to share the dressing room with legends such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has meant that the young lad also seems to have understood the importance of not focussing on just the end result.
“Milestones don’t really matter to me. The focus will always be on my team, and I believe in my processes. So, I’ll try and train and control what is within my hands. The rest will take care of itself.
“It makes a huge difference when you get to train, talk, and play with such legends. Even while batting in the middle or while hanging around outside, I try to learn as much as possible by seeing them go about their business. They’re still a lot of things that I want to bring into my game, and this is just the beginning,” he added.