Yashasvi Jaiswal, a 21-year-old Indian cricketer, has become a sensation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after smashing 124 runs off 62 balls for Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Jaiswal, who grew up in a poor family in Uttar Pradesh, moved to Mumbai as a child and slept in a dairy and a tent near Azad Maidan while playing cricket during the day and selling pani puri at night to earn money for food.
He was eventually noticed by coach Jwala Singh, who became his legal guardian. Jaiswal won a place in the Mumbai state team in 2019 and became the youngest batsman to score a domestic one-day double century. He was then picked up by Rajasthan for $338,000 in the 2019 IPL auctions.
Jaiswal’s strike rate of 159.70 has now put him on top of the IPL’s 2023 batting rankings, with 428 runs. Former Australia batsman Tom Moody and India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma have praised Jaiswal for his talent, while veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon and former India cricketer Virender Sehwag have predicted that he is destined for bigger things.
Despite Jaiswal’s sparkling innings, which included 16 fours and eight sixes, Rajasthan Royals lost to Mumbai Indians, with Australian batsman Tim David blasting three sixes in the final over to secure victory.
