CHENNAI: On expected lines, India captain for the upcoming U-19 World Cup Priyam Garg and his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal bagged impressive deals at the IPL auctions in Kolkata on Thursday. Garg was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 1.9 crore, while Rajasthan Royals splurged Rs 2.4 crore on Jaiswal.
The league is known to produce rags-to-riches stories every year, given the franchises’ liking for youngsters. And the trend continued this year as well. “We are happy but he needs to perform now. The first task is to help India retain the U-19 World Cup and then perform to the expectations of the franchise,” Naresh Garg, Priyam’s father who drove schools vans and sold milk to fuel his son’s dreams, told this daily.
The 19-year-old Garg and his siblings wanted their father to retire after achieving their goals. But Naresh said it’s not over yet. “It’s still not the time (to retire),” said Naresh, who works as a driver with the UP health department on a contractual basis. The family hails from Quila Parikshitgarh village, about 25km from Meerut in UP.
Jaiswal used to sell paani puris on the streets of Mumbai and sleep in a tent at Azad Maidan a few years ago until he met Jwala Singh, a local cricket coach. Also from a village in UP’s Bhadohi, the left-hander batsman had gone to Mumbai with his father and decided to stay back to pursue his dream. With his father Bhupendra Singh Jaiswal going back to running a small shop in the village, Yashasvi had to take up odd jobs to survive.
“His story sounded similar to mine when we first met in 2013. I too came to Mumbai from a small village in UP and slept on footpaths and took the local train to ensure I can play cricket. Despite all efforts, injuries cut short my career and I did not want Yashasvi to meet the same fate,” Jwala said. The batsman has been living with the coach since 2013.
“IPL is a big platform as you get an opportunity to rub shoulders with the best. I hope he keeps up the good work,” the coach added. “It’s a great opportunity for me to learn. I want to learn as much as I can during my time with Rajasthan Royals. It is a platform to make a name for myself,” the 17-year-old cricketer was quoted as saying.
After being offered a platform to showcase their talents at a young age in the IPL, many including Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and Shubhman Gill graduated to the next level and played for the country. Garg and Jaiswal will hope to continue the trend by using IPL as a launchpad for future success.