I have kept Sachin Tendulkar's signed bat in my room as a memory: Yashasvi Jaiswal

Mumbai youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal created a great stir between the franchises during the last IPL auction in December when teams started having bidding battle in order to place him in their respective squad. His base price was Rs 20 Lakh but it was Rajasthan Royals who eventually snapped him up for a whopping Rs 2.4 crore.

He became the target youngster for every franchise after displaying heroics in the U19 World Cup earlier this year. He amassed a total of 400 runs from his bat and went on to clinch the Player of the Tournament award in the mega event.

He has had a great share of struggles in life before he received this golden opportunity in life. He moved from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai where he did small chores like working in a dairy shop and selling pani-puris to sustain himself. He attracted initial bids from KKR and MI but was eventually bought by the Rajasthan franchise.

In an exclusive interview with The Times of India, the young sensation spoke how he is too excited for the upcoming fancy league to meet greats like Steve Smith and Jofra Archer.

Yashasvi Jaiswal seeks inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar

The young lad talked about the inspirational aspect of his life and says he is a great admirer of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Though Jaiswal is a left-hander, he takes help from Tendulkar’s batting videos to take his game on another level. He wants to ace straight drives like that of the Little Master and he cherishes the signed bat the legend gave him once. It read- “Dear Yashasvi, enjoy the journey and always give your best.”

“That bat is broken. But I have kept it in my room as a memory. After the World Cup, I went to meet him (Sachin) at BKC. He hugged me. I had so many things to ask him. I asked about IPL and my World Cup performance. I know I am a left-hander, but I take inspiration from him.

One can learn a lot from batting videos. I am lucky that I can meet him and learn. Just look at his skills and dedication, they are a class apart,” said Jaiswal, who has featured in one First-class match for Mumbai until now.