Jaiswal

Twenty-two-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal on Saturday became the third youngest Indian, after Vinod Kambli in 1994 and Sunil Gavaskar in 1971, to score a double century in a Test Match, when he hit 209 against England on the second day of the second test match at Visakhapatnam. And his parents watched his feat while sitting in faraway Suriyawan in Uttar Pradesh.

“We did not go to Vishakhapatnam to watch the match live. We did not go to Hyderabad (for the first Test) either. My son feels that if we’re at the stadium while he’s playing, he will be under pressure and will be unable to perform,” explains Yashasvi’s father Bhupendra Jaiswal, who runs a hardware store.

Bhupendra and his wife Kanchan, a housewife, were glued to their TV set while their son was playing. “We were certain he would hit a double hundred,” says the proud father.

Bhupendra however reveals that they have gone to see their son play in IPL matches many times, without his knowledge!

How his fortune changed

Yashasvi’s rise to cricket stardom is nothing short of inspiring. At the age of 10, he came to Mumbai to train at the Azad Maidan. Since he knew no one in the teeming metropolis, he was forced to work in a dairy shop in exchange for accommodation. But he was turned out by the shopkeeper because he was unable to put in the required hours of work. He then lived in a tent with the groundsmen at the Maidan, and helped sell panipuri to meet expenses. After three years, his fortunes changed. Yashasvi was spotted by Jwala Singh, who ran a cricket academy in Santacruz. He provided the youngster accommodation, and ultimately became his legal guardian.

Yashasvi is the youngest of four siblings. His elder brother Tejasvi is also reportedly undergoing cricket training in Delhi. He has two sisters.

“We did not go to Vishakhapatnam to watch the match live. We did not go to Hyderabad (for the first Test) either. My son feels that if we’re at the stadium while he’s playing, he will be under pressure and will be unable to perform,” says father Bhupendra Jaiswal

Yashasvi came to Mumbai, at age 10, to train at the Azad Maidan. He worked in a dairy shop in exchange for accommodation but was turned out by the shopkeeper as he was unable to put in the required hours of work. He then lived in a tent with the groundsmen at the Maidan, and helped sell panipuri to meet expenses. After 3 years, Yashasvi was spotted by Jwala Singh, who ran a cricket academy in Santacruz. He provided the youngster accommodation, and ultimately became his legal guardian.