How inspirational Yashasvi Jaiswal went from selling pani puris to scoring IPL century

Young Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to be experiencing a breakthrough season in the IPL, with his maiden century taking him to the top of the Orange Cap standings

Mumbai Indians may have pulled off a record chase against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday with a blockbuster finish from Tim David but it was RR's Yashasvi Jaiswal who won player of the match for his knock of 124 off 62 balls. Jaiswal ended up scoring more than half of the runs that RR made, with the next best score from his side being his opening partner Jos Buttler's 18 off 19 balls. Jaiswal smashed 16 fours and eight sixes and was dismissed only off the fourth ball of the 20th over, thus nearly playing through the innings.

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored more than half of RR's runs on Sunday (Twitter/BCCI)

The century took Jaiswal to the top of the Orange Cap standings, leapfrogging the likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and David Warner. Jaiswal now has 428 runs in nine innings this season at a strike rate of 159.70 and average of 47.56. Apart from the century on Sunday, he has scored three half centuries as well.

Those who have followed the 21-year-old's young career won't be too surprised by his success. Jaiswal is regarded as one of the most promising talents across formats in Indian cricket. Since making his first class debut for Mumbai in January 2019, Jaiswal has scored 1845 runs in just 15 matches at an astonishing average of 80.21 and strike rate of 67.48 to boot. He already has nine centuries to his name in first class cricket and two half centuries. He is the youngest player to score a double century in 50-over cricket and was the leading run scorer in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, where India lost to Bangladesh in the final. Jaiswal had scored 400 runs in that tournament in six matches with one century and four half centuries.

It wasn't too long before that tournament that Jaiswal was staying in a tent with the groundsmen of the Azad Maiden in Dadar, Mumbai. Jaiswal had travelled to Mumbai from his hometown of Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh to receive cricket coaching at the Maidan and had to live in the tent after he was evicted from a shop he was working for in the Kalbadevi neighbourhood. He would also sell pani puri to make ends meet. "The journey I've had, that will stay with me for life," Jaiswal had said last year ahead of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals between Mumbai and UP.

"I still think the same and I stay the same. I haven't made any extraordinary changes in my life, and I am not going to either. I want to move forward in the same way I've done so far. I know how much hard work and dedication it takes to achieve what you want. So I will be like that. I know myself. I am so blessed. Thank you, God, and thank you cricket. Seriously," Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal's talent was spotted by Santacruz-based coach Jwala Singh, who took him under his wing and provided the youngster a place to stay. Pretty soon, Jaiswal started turning heads with his knocks. He came to the limelight in 2015 when he scored 319 not out and took 13/99 in a Giles Shield match, an all-round record in school cricket, which was recognized by Limca Book of Records. This led to a selection in the Mumbai U16 squad and he later graduated to the U19 squad as well. Soon he started getting selected in the Indian U19 squad, top scoring and winning the player of the tournament in the 2018 U19 Asia Cup. He ended up making his senior first class debut in the 2018/19 Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai.