Yashasvi Jaisal has made a spectacular start to his Test career. In just seven appearances for India, he has scored 861 runs, which includes two double centuries and a hundred, along with two other knocks of fifty. More than half of those runs came in the ongoing series against England at home, having amassed 545 runs in six innings which comprises both those double tons. He notched up 209 in the second Test in Vizag and followed it up with an unbeaten 214 in the third Test in Rajkot, both of which India won by emphatic margin. While world cricket went ga-ga over the left-hander's scintillating run in the format so far, Yashasvi's childhood coach, Jwala Singh, revealed that it had all started with a surprising phone call from India captain Rohit Sharma.
Speaking to India Today a day after the home team's record win by 434 runs in the third Test against England, Singh was asked about Yashasvi pairing up with Rohit as India's openers, which is when he opened up on a phone call the youngster had received almost five years back, when he was part of the Mumbai state team.
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Singh added that Rohit made the call on one of Mumbai player's phone and asked for Yashasvi. The incumbent India skipper then told him that he was meant to be part of the national team.
“Rohit is a great player, he plays for Mumbai. I remember one day, Yashasvi told me a story. He was playing for Mumbai then. So Rohit called on some teammate's phone and said he wanted to talk to Yashasvi. It happened about 4-5 years back. He told Yashasvi, 'You are meant to be here where I am right now.' He then quickly called me up and told me about the phone call. He was very excited. Now Rohit is his captain and opening partner, so there is that level of comfort,” Singh recalled.
{{/usCountry}}“Rohit is a great player, he plays for Mumbai. I remember one day, Yashasvi told me a story. He was playing for Mumbai then. So Rohit called on some teammate's phone and said he wanted to talk to Yashasvi. It happened about 4-5 years back. He told Yashasvi, 'You are meant to be here where I am right now.' He then quickly called me up and told me about the phone call. He was very excited. Now Rohit is his captain and opening partner, so there is that level of comfort,” Singh recalled.
{{/usCountry}}Rohit and Yashasvi have now batted together in 13 innings where they have amassed 788 runs together with two century stands.
Despite the appreciation Yashasvi has been receiving over the last few weeks owing to his stellar batting, the Indian captain has remained tightlipped on praising the youngster.
"I've spoken a lot about him. I'm sure people outside the changing room have also been talking about him. I want to be calm about him, not talk a lot about him. He's started his career on a high," Rohit said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.