New Delhi, Dec 5, 2024
From an Indian perspective, all eyes will be on how young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fares in the second day-night Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, starting on Friday.
Left-handed Jaiswal had taken the cricketing world by storm through hitting a brilliant 161 in the second innings, after being out for a duck in the first essay, and playing a pivotal hand in India winning the Perth Test by 295 runs.
Now, his childhood friend Mudassir Khan said Jaiswal told him about doing something big on the tour of Australia. “Usne bola tha ke woh kuch bada karega (he had said he would do something big). And he did that in the first Test itself.
“We saw he was a different player in the second innings after getting out for a duck in the first. The best part about his cricket is that he has always been a quick learner. He doesn’t sit idle but keeps working on his game and has a keen observation,” said Khan to Telecom Asia Sport.
Khan, who works and lives as a bat maker in a tent in Azad Maidan, also shared an incident where Jaiswal surprised him by making a visit to remember the good old days, where he went through the struggle to keep his cricketing dream alive.
“We keep exchanging messages now and then. A cricketer had broken his bat, and he desperately needed a new one, so I asked Yashasvi if he could give me a spare bat. Coincidentally, I sent the message during the third Test of the India-New Zealand series at the Wankhede.
“He replied, asking me where I was. Told him I was staying at the Maidan. The match was over in three days and he asked me to come to the gate. I thought he would just meet me there and leave as he is a big man now.
“He got down from his car and he said, ‘chalo andar, bahut din ho gaye. Aur kitna badal gaya hai (Let’s get inside. It’s been a while and things have changed so much here). We just talked about those days, about how he would sleep in the tent, cook food and move around the ground, playing matches and dreaming of making it big,” he elaborated.
Khan also said Jaiswal had spoken to him about not making a big score in the New Zealand series, which India lost 3-0, before going on tour of Australia. “He came and met all those that were a part of his journey, including the Azad Maidan groundsmen and Chacha (uncle) with whom we lived. Yashasvi said he has not forgotten all those who backed him in his days of struggle. ‘Their prayers are important to me’, he told me’.”
“At that time, he was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t help India win, but he was very confident even then. He said he aims to score big every time he gets a chance, like 150 or 200 runs. Yashasvi said if he gets a good 30 balls in the middle, he will be up for a big one. Bas 30 ball chahiye usko (he needs 30 balls to start). He uncorks the magic once he gets in,” he concluded.(Agency)
