‘Superstar’ Jaiswal: From homeless to Test hero
Visakhapatnam, India, AFP: From being homeless and selling snacks on the streets to finance his cricketing ambitions, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has now become the toast of India with a Test double century against England.
The 22-year-old turned an overnight 179 into his first double ton with 209 on Saturday in the second match of the high-profile series. Jaiswal, an attacking left-hand batsman, burst into the consciousness of his cricket-mad country with a stellar showing in the Indian Premier League.
He was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 IPL auction and last season made one half of a fearsome opening pair with England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler, amassing 625 runs with a strike-rate of more than 163. His 171 on his Test debut against the West Indies last year turned heads with a gruelling 387 deliveries in Dominica over more than eight hours at the crease. His latest knock has left the cricketing world in awe of the youngster. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen called Jaiswal “a superstar” on commentary.
“You beauty, your bat has become a magic wand,” India opener Shikhar Dhawan wrote on social media platform X.
“Rewriting cricket history, one milestone at a time!” he added.