India U19 star Yashasvi Jaiswal's man of the tournament trophy breaks into two pieces

India U19’s World Cup 2020 campaign didn’t end on a triumphant note as the Boys in Blue suffered a three-wicket defeat by the hands of Bangladesh U19 side. Cut-throat competitiveness, on-field battles, showcase of temperament and grit — the U19 World Cup 2020 final had it all and one player who stood out from the rest throughout the whole tournament was 18-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Jaiswal etched his name into the record books by exhibiting consistent performances with his willow in the whole tournament. And deservingly so, the teenage sensation was also awarded Player of the Series post the final against Bangladesh U19. He finished the tournament as the top-scorer (400 runs). In the 6 World Cup innings, Jaiswal had five 50+ scores–including a ton. The only time the right-hander failed to gather a half-century was against Japan when the Boys in Blue were chasing only 42. Jaiswal’s scores in the World Cup read: 88, 105*, 62, 57*, 29*, 59.

However, the Player of the Series World Cup trophy– which most people would preserve cherish for their entire life– was seen lying on a table, broken into two pieces as Jaiswal came back from South Africa. However, 18-year-old Jaiswal was not upset with his coveted honour being damaged. He even failed to recollect how the award got damaged. However, Jaiswal’s coach Jwala Singh stated that the teenager doesn’t care about trophies and his main objective is to only score runs.

“This isn’t the first time! He cares more about runs, doesn’t fuss too much about trophies,” said Jaiswal’s coach as quoted by The Indian Express.

‘It is not the end of the world’: Yashasvi Jaiswal

While Jaiswal was the top performer for the Indian colts in the final against Bangladesh U19, he admitted that he misjudged the ball and poor shot selection was the prime reason behind his dismissal.

“I played a bad shot, it wasn’t needed at that time. The ball came much faster than I expected. I had got a slower ball just before that,” said a remorseful Jaiswal.

The swashbuckling opener also revealed that he had received a phone call before the final from Wasim Jaffer. The veteran suggested Jaiswal to take some time in the middle while lauding his performance in the tournament. Despite India Under-19’s incompetency to lay their hands on the U19 World Cup trophy, Jaiswal opined that he doesn’t have any regret while looking back at the final.

“I was a bit nervous and he told me that I am doing well, and just take time in the middle. But it didn’t go our way. Nothing has changed for me, of course, it would have been great if we had won it but it’s not the end of the world,” added Jaiswal.

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