From being a scared small town kid to owning the field, Yashasvi Jaiswal story

The left-hander became the 17th Indian to score a century on Test debut as he amassed 171 runs in the first match in Dominica

Living his and his coach's dream: Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo | AFP)

CHENNAI: As Yashasvi Jaiswal walked back to the dressing room with 171 runs next to his name on Day Two of the first Test in Dominica on Friday, the disappointment on his face was visible. He became only the 17th Indian man to score a ton on debut and only the third from the country to register a 150-plus score on debut. And yet, he seemed to be disappointed that he missed out on a double hundred. After all, he had scored three of them in the last 12 months in domestic red-ball cricket.

Halfway across the world in Mumbai, Jwala Singh, his childhood coach, was beaming with pride. In fact, Singh too was hoping that his ward would make it a double having messaged Yashasvi after his hundred to bat till the end of play on Friday. The left-hander might have missed on the 200, but he, his family and Singh, also his legal guardian, are immensely proud of the journey he has been through to get here. 

Watching Jaiswal play, Singh is so proud that he feels he has achieved a dream of his own. As someone who came to Mumbai from a small town (Gorakhpur) himself with the dream of playing cricket, Singh knows what it is to struggle for opportunities, to be dared by people around, to be discouraged. When he met Jaiswal in 2013, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

"When people from small towns come to big cities carrying their dreams, many people will try to stop them. They will tell them you cannot do it. It is very difficult. No one has ever done this before. When I came to Mumbai, my parents went through many difficulties to send me here. Unfortunately, even after playing well it didn't happen, I got injured. So for me, it was like I have to do something in this field. When I saw Yashasvi, he had a similar fire," Singh recalls.

When Singh met Jaiswal, he was a scared kid who had travelled to the city of dreams from Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh. He was staying in a tent, struggling mentally, physically and financially. People around him had misguided him and scared him that he couldn't play because he did not have proper documents so Jaiswal did not play for a few months. That is when Singh came into the picture, took over as legal guardian and ensured that he got to play.

"For a 12-year-old kid who didn't have documents, a house to sleep, proper food on table, practice facility and no opportunities to play, India cap was not even in the picture. I told him we will work hard for ten years without having high hopes, he did everything I asked for. I did all the planning and execution was his part," says the coach.

Singh used to tell Jaiswal motivational stories all the time. Stories of players who succeeded and those who didn't. He never told him 'best of luck' even. Singh wanted Jaiswal to not believe in luck and create his own destiny. "Your mentality should be like a fearless soldier. I told him preparation is so good that luck is not needed. He knows the value of opportunities. People work to get opportunities, but champions work even harder after getting an opportunity. I kept telling him. Even when he got selected for India U19 when his family called and I told them it has just started and there is still a long way to go. And I am very happy that he achieved it," says Singh on the fearless approach the young left-hander takes on the field, whether it is in the IPL or in Test cricket.

As for the manner in which he scores runs, all Singh has told him is to play with a straight bat and hit powerfully through the gaps so the fielders are not able to pull the ball back. That's been the visualisation even in nets. One look at his maiden Test ton on debut, it comes as no surprise that 92 of his 171 came between covers and midwicket.

Off the field, the coach wants Jaiswal to be his own person. While he might not be interested in tattoos, he understands that the youngster has quite a few of them, especially of milestone dates in cricket, are his own thing.  "It is for him. When a player becomes bigger and grows, as a coach you have to step back and let him/her move forward. That is their choice, they will have their own thinking in life. As a coach and a guardian, I will only say something is going wrong and there is a need for it," says Singh.

A decade since Singh took Jaiswal under his wing, the youngster is not a scared kid searching for an opportunity anymore. He is an India cricketer who has smashed a Test century on debut and is living his and his coach's dream. What's more, this is just the beginning.