Young Yashasvi Jaiswal is fast emerging to be one of India’s most exciting prospects, but it’s almost unreal to think that the 22-year-old almost didn’t make it had it not been for his elder brother. The older of two siblings, Tejasvi began his cricketing journey at the same time as Yashasvi, but given the financial condition of the family, only one could pursue a full-time career. A decision had to be made, and Tejasvi stepped up, sacrificing his career so that Yashasvi’s could blossom. The year was 2012, when both brothers moved to Mumbai, but just two years later, Tejasvi gave up his ambitions so that Yashasvi could thrive.
In the last year, Jaiswal hasn’t kept a foot wrong. He scored a century on Test debut – becoming the 17th Indian to do so and enjoyed a record-breaking series of 700-plus runs against England. However, Jaiswal’s sternest test is now as India face Australia in a five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Even as Jaiswal gears up for the fiercest battle of his young international career, he ensured that Tejasvi was congratulated, who is marking a return to cricket after seven years. The elder brother, representing Tripura in the Ranji Trophy Round 5 contest, reveals having an emotional phone call with Jaiswal.
“Tune sab ke liye kiya, apne sapne ko choda, bahut sacrifice kiya, abhi tumhara time hai, enjoy karo (You sacrificed your dream for us, now it is your time, enjoy it),” Yashasvi told Tejasvi, reported The Indian Express.
The road wasn’t easy
To make ends meet, Tejasvi started working as a salesman, selling decorative lights in Delhi’s South Extension and would regularly send a chunk of his earnings as pocket money to Yashasvi. Tejasvi last played in 2014 before family responsibilities paused his dreams. In between everything, Tejasvi also got embroiled in an age-fraud controversy which took time to get sorted.
Finally, with things improving and – Yashasvi inked a lucrative contract with Rajasthan Royals and beginning to make it big – Tejasvi went back to his first love – cricket. Picked for Tripura, Tejasvi couldn’t make much noise against Meghalaya and Mumbai, scoring 13 and 4, but showed what he is made of, striking 82 against Baroda and also picking 1/29. Today, the Jaiswal brothers are out to prove a point – Yashasvi in Perth, and Tejasvi in Jammu, where Tripura are playing their round of Ranji.
“I also wanted to play cricket, but the financial situation of our family was not good. Yashasvi was doing well… So by the end of 2013, I quit Mumbai and cricket and moved to Delhi, where a relative runs a shop,” he said.
“I played one game in the Harris Shield and picked up seven wickets. Then people started saying that I had an age-verification issue. I was benched for a year and a half. Yashasvi was doing extremely well and I didn’t want his prospects to be affected because of me. Anyway, Mumbai was too expensive for both of us. It was getting difficult for both of us to have two meals a day. At that point Jwala sir, Yashasvi’s coach, wasn’t in the picture yet.”
