NEW DELHI: Yashasvi Jaiswal was hailed as ‘The New King’ by the Aussie media before the India-Australia Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 got underway.
Jaiswal was tipped to succeed the great Virat Kohli as India and Australia locked horns in the first Test in Perth.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck in the first innings but he more than made up for it with a brilliant 161 second innings as India crushed Australia by 295 runs to take a 1-0 series lead.
Former Australia great Adam Gilchrist, who revolutionized the wicket-batter’s role in international cricket lauded Jaiswal with a video on his Instagram handle after India’s victory in Perth.
Should India continue with KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers?
Adam Gilchrist says in the video, “Yashasvi Jaiswal, the gifted Indian opening bat, at 22, he’s already scoring breathtaking Test centuries. The hundred on debut against the Windies, those double tons vs England, and now this magic in Australia. But the word is, this is where it begins is to get scary, we ain’t seen nothing yet. To best predict Jaiswal’s future, is to understand his past. How he left home at age 10 to chase his dream, arriving at the cricket complex in Mumbai, being where the great Sachin Tendulkar cut his teeth. Mumbai is a city of 22 million people, but Jaiswal lived alone in a tent, no food, no electricity and not much else. All he did was bat and bat and bat. The bullies and urges, they came and went. The good thing about not sleeping at night, is you get to dream with your eyes wide open.”
Jaiswal’s journey in cricket is a story of perseverance and talent. From humble beginnings, he has quickly risen to become one of India’s most promising young batsmen, impressing fans and critics alike with his stellar performances in domestic cricket and the IPL.
Born in Uttar Pradesh, Jaiswal moved to Mumbai at a young age with dreams of becoming a cricketer. His early life was marked by hardships; he lived in tents, sold street food, and struggled to make ends meet while training.
But his dedication and resilience shone through and made his Test debut with a bang with an astonishing 171 against the West Indies at Roseau in July 2023.
Jaiswal showed his appetite for big knocks when he smashed 209 and an unbeaten 214 against England at Visakhapatnam and Rajkot respectively in February 2024.
Gilchrist continues, “By age 20, Yashasvi Jaiswal was out there playing alongside the multi-millionaires of Indian cricket in front of the most fanatical following in the sporting world. His early stats, including the 161 runs in the second innings of this Perth Test are suddenly being compared to those of Virat Kohli, yup Virat Kohli. Heaven only knows where this story will end or indeed, if it ever will.”
Last October, Jaiswal made history by becoming the first Indian batter to score 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year before turning 23. The milestone came during the second Test against New Zealand at Pune’s MCA Stadium.
Jaiswal became only the fifth batter in history to accomplish this feat, placing his name alongside some of the game’s greatest.