Mumbai cricketer Yashasvi sold pani puri; lived in tent for 3 years!

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Indian Under-19 cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal has become a household name overnight after his recent heroics in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a record double century (203 runs) off just 154 deliveries and made his way into the record books to become the youngest cricketer to score a double hundred in List-A cricket.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's double century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy included 17 boundaries and 12 sixes. The 17-year-old Mumbai cricketer helped his team beat Jharkhand by 39 runs in their final Elite Group A match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Where is Jaiswal from?

However, not many people know that just three years ago, the situation was completely different for the youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal who hailed from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh. When he came to Mumbai in 2012, he was just 11 years old and had nowhere to live in the city. With cricket taking up most of his time, he was thrown out of a dairy shop where he used to sleep and was given refuge by the grounds-men at the Muslim United Club's tent at the Azad Maidan ground.

Jaiswal sold pani puri, fruits; prepared rotis

The situation did not improve much for Jaiswal as he continued to live there and although he continued playing cricket, money was becoming a big factor. He used to help out a food vendor and at the tent, he was given lunch and dinner but his job in the kitchen was to make rotis for the staff. He also used to sell pani puris for a living.

"I just wanted to play cricket and I want to play for Mumbai. I used to stay in a tent and there was no electricity, washrooms or water facilities there. To make ends meet, I started working with a food vendor. On occasions, my teammates would turn up and I'd serve them. I felt terrible. But it took that in my stride as it was necessary."

When things changed

However, when coach Jwala Singh spotted the left-handed batsman, he took him under his wing and things began to change. "He was 11-12 years old when I first saw him bat. I was immediately impressed by his performance and he was playing against Division A bowlers with ease. Then my friend told me that he was struggling to find a home and he didn't have a coach here," Jwala Singh said in an interview last year.

Jaiswal's coach Jwala Singh said, "In the last three years, he has made 51 centuries and has taken 200 wickets. He's got a habit of making big scores. If he carries on playing like this in big tournaments, I'm very sure he will play for India."

Earlier too, Yashasvi Jaiswal made it to the Limca Book of Records after he scored an unbeaten 319 and posted bowling figures of 13/99 (most runs and wickets in a school cricket match.)

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