Team India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s childhood coach Jwala Singh has exposed one of the biggest lies related to the young cricketer’s life, which he stated has often been peddled by the media.
Yashasvi Jaiswal recently took the cricket world by storm after he scored a hundred against the West Indies in his debut Test in Dominica last month, joining a select band of Indian cricketers who have made a century in their first international fixture.
The left-hander finished the two-match Test series against the West Indies as the leading scorer, compiling 266 runs at an average of 88.66 in three knocks.
It came after Yashasvi Jaiswal impressed the national selectors with his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he has continued to represent former champions Rajasthan Royals since 2020. Moreover, he did exceedingly well in domestic competitions like the Ranji Trophy, helping him to raise his stakes in Indian cricket, resulting in his selection in the squad for the West Indies.
Initially, Yashasvi Jaiswal earned the spotlight due to his heroics in the Under-19 World Cup in 2020, where he smashed more than 400 runs and was named the player of the tournament.
Though Yashasvi Jaiswal could not power the Men-in-Blue to victory in the final, eventually won by Bangladesh, it made him a household name in India. This paved the way for his induction into the Rajasthan Royals team for the IPL in the following months.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s reputation has grown manifold after his recent fireworks in the West Indies, with many former Indian cricketers backing him to get picked in the national ODI and T20I teams.
Against this background, Jwala Singh lashed out at media organizations, who have been using a picture of his ward with a panipuri seller to sell their work, telling readers that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rise was a perfect rags-to-riches story.
According to Jwala Singh, there was only 5 percent truth in the panipuri version of the events because neither Yashasvi Jaiswal nor his father sold panipuris for a living.
“I had requested few media people many times to interview Yashasvi but they kept turning me down. Suddenly one day, without asking me or taking my permission they tried to contact and interview Yashasvi. I was in England at that time. Without even consulting with me, they met Yashasvi who was just 16 at that time. Yashasvi then contacted me and said that a few journalists want to interview him and I said okay, go ahead,” Jwala Singh told Republic World in an interview.
“They ended up asking him a few personal questions and Yashasvi, out of his innocence ended up mentioning the panipuri incident. Just to give their stories weightage, they used the panipuri topic as their headline. Even I was shocked by the story because I raised him as my son, and gave him all the facilities,” he added.
“Everytime Jaiswal performs, there is a picture of him that comes out with a man at a panipuri stall and the media houses claim to be that man as his father. He was just a random guy, his father doesn’t sell panipuris for a living,” Yashasvi Jaiswal’s coach pointed out.
“I have reiterated this time and again, both me and Yashasvi that he never sold panipuris to earn his living. I have myself said it to many media outlets that he never sold panipuris once he began his cricket training with me in 2013. The entire story around this panipuri thing is blown out of proportion and is used time and again to give weightage to the stories done on him. It makes for a good headline but there is only 5 percent truth in this,” Jwala Singh stated.
“When he first came to Mumbai and was living in a tent, might have done it just for a few days. He did not have basic amenities, no electricity, proper food, his tent used to be filled with water during the monsoon season. At times he did assist few hawkers as he was just a kid and in return earned small amounts from them, but all of these things stopped once I started his cricket training and took him under my wings,” he elaborated.
“I have known him for 10 years and trained him for 10 years, but still, people write that he was selling panipuri before the U-19 World Cup 2020. These kinds of stories demean the contribution of people who have helped him to become the player that he is today. This has become a trend nowadays, whenever a player performs, there is always a struggling background that is given to him. Yes, he lived in a tent, and yes he faced many hardships, but it is not at all true that he was selling panipuri with his father in Mumbai and it helped him in his cricket training,” Jwala Singh noted.
“When he initially came to Mumbai, his parents used to send him INR 1000 every month. His father owns a paint shop. Whatever cricket he is playing today is because of proper coaching, food, and accommodation, I did my best to provide him with everything. Nobody can become a cricketer without proper investment of time and money. I have given 9 valuable years of my life to him,” he summed up.
Meanwhile, with Team India losing the first T20I against the West Indies on Thursday, former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer demanded Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion in the playing XI for the second game on Sunday.
Wasim Jaffer argued that Yashasvi Jaiswal should replace Ishan Kishan in the XI, considering he has not scored many runs in his last few outings.
“I want to see Yashasvi Jaiswal. He should play as an opening batter. I want to see Jaiswal in place of Ishan Kishan,” Wasim Jaffer said on ESPNCricinfo.
“Ishan Kishan’s T20I form worries me. In the last 15 innings, he hasn’t even scored a 40, the strike rate is also too low. So, that’s a cause of concern, but he was in good form in ODIs. It’s a different format (T20I). He also had an ordinary IPL season,” the former India opener added.
“Why not give an opportunity to the boy who played very well in the IPL? He won the emerging player award and is confident. I’ll definitely look towards that change,” Wasim Jaffer concluded.
