India’s newest batting sensa tion Yashasvi Jaiswal’ s childhood coach Jwala Singh has made a big revelation about the Mumbai batter’s early struggles. Jaiswal has had an astronomic rise in Indian cricket as he scored 171 runs in his debut Test against the West Indies after a breakout IPL season.
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Through this purple patch, countless reports and videos about Yashasvi’s hardships and struggles surfaced which claimed that the 21-year-old sold panipuris to support his livelihood as he came to Mumbai and started playing cricket. This story inspired a lot of fans, who showered praise and adoration on the Rajasthan Royals star as he climbed up towards the upper echelon of Indian cricket.
But Jaiswal’s coach Jwala Singh has claimed that Yashasvi never sold panipuris after he started playing organised cricket in 2013. Singh also claimed that this story has been used by media outlets to create buzz around their new stories and the story is just 5% true. He also stated that Jaiswal may have sold panipuris for a few days when he just moved to Mumbai as he was living in a tent.
Jwala Singh, as quoted by Republic, said, “I have said reiterated this time and again, both me and Yashasvi that he never sold panipuris to earn his living. I have myself said to many media outlets that he never sold panipuris once he began his cricket training with me in 2013. The entire story around this panipuri thing is blown out of proportion and is used time and again to give weightage to the stories done on him. It makes for a good headline but it has only 5% of truth in this. When he first came to Mumbai and was living in a tent, might have done it just for a few days.”
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“He did not have basic amenities, no electricity, proper food, his tent used to be filled with water during the monsoon season. At times he did assist a few hawkers as he was just a kid and in return earned small amounts from them, but all of these things stopped once I started his cricket training and took him under my wings. It has been 10 years that I know him and have started training him, but still, people write that he was selling panipuri before the U-19 World Cup 2020,” Singh continued.
Further in the interview, Jwala Singh also described these new stories to ‘demean’ the contribution of those who have supported him in his journey. Singh also expressed how Jaiswal is the cricketer he is today because of the proper amenities he managed to provide to the youngster. He said, “Yes, he lived in a tent, and yes he faced many hardships, but it is not at all true that he was selling panipuri with his father in Mumbai and it helped him in his cricket training.
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"When he initially came to Mumbai, his parents used to send him INR 1000 every month. His father owns a paint shop. Whatever cricket he is playing today is because of proper coaching, food, and accommodation, I did my best to provide him with everything. Nobody can become a cricketer without proper investment of time and money. I have given 9 valuable years of my life to him.”