Yashasvi Jaiswal Was Informed By Rohit Sharma About His India Debut 15 Days In Advance. Here's The Reason
Making his India debut at the age of 21, Yashasvi Jaiswal impressed one and all with his 171-run knock.
- India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 171 runs in his first international match - a Test against West Indies
- "Almost fifteen days before, Rohit Sharma had already told me (about debut)," he said
- Rohit informed Jaiswal early as he wanted the youngster to play his maiden India game with proper preparation
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a good start to Test cricket. The southpaw has played 28 matches, scoring 2,511 runs at an average of 49.23 in the format. It was a dream Test debut for the batter at Roseau, Dominica, two years back. Jaiswal played a 171-run knock against West Indies in his very first innings of the match that was also his first for India at the highest level. Despite debuting at age of 21, the batter showed amazing grit and temperament during his flawless knock. While confidence was always there in the player, he revealed that Rohit Sharma, the then India captain, also helped his cause by informing him about his debut around 15 days before the match.
"He spoke to me really well. He said a lot of things that gave me a lot of confidence. He kept telling me, 'You're free-go out there, play freely, play your shots with confidence. But try that if you get set, then make it a big innings.' So there were many such conversations," Jaiswal said as quoted by India Today.
"Almost fifteen days before, he had already told me," he added.
Jaiswal further said that Rohit wanted the youngster to play his maiden India game with proper preparation, and this was the reason he was informed about it in advance.
"He said, 'I won't tell you just one day before that you're playing. I'm telling you fifteen days in advance-you're going to play. Prepare yourself. We'll prepare together, and we'll do it properly.' That was his thought process," Jaiswal recalled.
"So the moment I found out that I was going to make my debut, it was a very special moment for me. I had never played for India before, and this was my first time," he added.
Jaiswal also showed gratitude to Rohit for the role he has played in his life.
"What can I even say about Rohit bhai? I honestly don't have words for him. What a person he is. What a guy. He's like an elder brother-he teaches you, he inspires you," he said.
"It's a dream for so many people to play alongside Rohit bhai, Virat paaji, Hardik bhai," the India Test opener added.
India Cricket Team
West Indies Cricket Team
Rohit Sharma