'I will live my dream through Yashasvi'

When Yashasvi Jaiswal makes his Test debut for India in the West Indies on Wednesday, he will know that his amazing journey from living as a 12 year old in tents in Azad Maidan to being one of the most exciting talents in international cricket could not have happened without the faith of one man -- his coach Jwala Singh.
Read on to know why.

From staying in tents at Azad Maidan to making his Test debut for India at 21, Yashavi Jaiswal's cricketing fairytale has been inspirational -- a story of grit, determination and undying love for cricket.

The young Yashasvi's rise has been quite spectacular -- after all, he was playing in the Under-19 World Cup in 2020 three years ago and come Wednesday he will be walking out to make his Test debut, in the first Test against the West Indies, in Dominica.

For his coach Jwala Singh, who has lived his cricketing dream through his ward, it will be like making his own Test debut.

One wonders whether Yashasvi would have made it as a top-level cricketer if not for Singh's timely intervention.

Singh accomodated the young boy at his home in Mumbai and invested a lot of his own money to help him pursue his cricketing dream.

Singh still remembers how he spotted Yashasvi for the first time in 2013 when a friend informed him that the youngster had left his home in Uttar Pradesh and come to Mumbai to become a cricketer but was facing a tough time as he had no place to live and was forced to stay in tents at Azad Maidan, where he practiced.

It reminded Singh of the hardships he faced as a youngster when he also similarly moved to Mumbai from Gorakhpur to become a cricketer.

Even though he failed in his cricketing endeavour, he made sure he did everything possible to help Yashasvi and the rest is history.

"I felt I was looking at myself and living my life through him, so I had a special connection with him," Singh told Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.

The first of an exclusive two-part conversation.

Looking back, when I took Yashasvi under my wings in 2013, it was because his story was very similar to mine. I also came to Mumbai in 1995 and I also faced a lot of hardships like he did.

When Yashasvi was staying in Azad Maidan, he was facing a lot of problems, he didn't have even the basics like food or place to stay. He was asked to go from there (when staying in a tent), so when he told me all these problems he was facing I could easily relate to it, because I also suffered a lot when I was young and playing cricket.

I had come to Mumbai from Gorakhpur with dreams to become a India cricketer, but because of lack of guidance and facilities I strugged.

I also faced a major injury setback and though I was a very good player, I could not make it to the top.

Yashasvi playing for India is something that I had also dreamt of. When I saw him for the first time, I knew that he could fulfill that incomplete dream of mine, to play for India.

In a way, my dream will be fulfilled or you can say I will live my dream through Yashasvi.

But I would say that only the first part of the dream will be achieved. There is still a long way to go for Yashasvi, he has a long journey ahead of him.

I am really proud of him. Whatever I had then planned in 1995, I was able to achieve it through Yashasvi.

I am really thrilled that whatever I faith I showed in him, he has lived up to it.

When I saw him for the first time, I clearly remember that it was December 2013. I had just reached Azad Maidan. My friend Munna came up to me and he told me that this guy who is batting in the nets 'uska bahut vaanda chal raha hai (he is facing a lot of problems).

I asked him what the issue was. Munna said Yashasvi's parents are not here and he is living alone in tents at Azad Maidan and that he was worried about his safety because he is so small and he is living all alone.

As we were talking, Yashasvi came out of the nets. He told me that he had come from UP and that his parents are staying in his village and he has come here alone.

I told him to bring the records of all the matches he has played to confirm whether what he said about his performances were true or not.

When he came to my house with all the records -- I still recall it was a Thursday -- he told me how he landed in Mumbai with dreams of becoming a cricketer, but there was no one to support him.

That instantly clicked with me because it was the same story as mine. His story inspired me. I also remembered how when I had to give up cricket I was so heartbroken that whatever dreams I had when leaving Gorakhpur for Mumbai, I was unable to achieve it.

But I had it in my mind that somehow I will achieve my dream in some form or the other. When I met Yashasvi and heard his story, I realised that he was the guy I was looking for.

I never looked at Yashasvi as someone else, I felt I was looking at myself and living my life through him, so I had a special connection with him.

That time he was not what you call a super talented player or something, but he had one important thing in him which was a burning desire.

I was confident that whatever I tell him to do, like what to practice and what all to do, he will follow it and that is what he did.

Basically, it was not all about cricket when I took him under my wings. He was just 12 then and at that age you can never surely say that he will go on to play for India one day.

But I was very sure about his attitude, that if someone is so passionate and has undergone so much to achieve his dream, then he definitely has that desire to do well.

The most important thing is that I have worked very hard on his game. Sometimes when I see his old videos, I am surprised as to how I could agree to train that young boy, because he was very young and small, he couldn't hit big shots and he struggled to complete two runs.

But his struggle matched my struggle and I felt that he needs support. I had a feeling that this boy would go on to do something special.

I would say that I also had the trust in me to achieve that. I would say that I full faith in my process too, that if he listens to me and follows what I say then he will go to achieve bigger things.

The one thing I want to add is that Yashasvi had the gift of temperament which convinced me that he was quite special as compared to the other young players.

I will reveal the emotional touch to our connection also. When I had to give up cricket, I suffered another blow when I found out that my father was diagnosed with cancer and he didn't have much time to live.

That time I promised myself that whatever I had dreamt of while coming to Mumbai, I will achieve it somehow.

Whatever I have done, you can say it was my passion for cricket, I wanted to live up to my father's dream. I came to Mumbai with so much hope, so those were the reasons I did all that.

I faced a lot of hardships. I couldn't get any coach and I didn't have any money at that time, so like Yashasvi I also slept at railway stations and on footpaths.

Sometimes I went without food for 2-3 days because I had no money, so it was a lot of struggle. I had to turn around those things and prove to the world that I am capable of something big too and that is why I invested everything in Yashasvi, I believed in him.

• India in West Indies, 2023

I still remember when Yashasvi came to stay with me, a lot of people were against it. My family was against me, my mother used to call me and tell me that I am taking a big risk by keeping someone else's child at my place. My friends also used to tell me that I should be looking after my life and family and not look after someone else's child and that if his family filed a complaint I would be in trouble.

People placed a lot of doubt in my mind but I was firm in my resolve, my only aim was to make Yashasvi a cricketer.

Today, when I look back and think about how he spent nine years at my house, he lived with us and was part of our family. I never thought of him as an outsider. I always loved him more than my kid. Maybe it was God's way of helping me to complete my unfulfilled dream.

• Part II: 'Yashasvi was crying'