Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal became a prominent name in Indian cricket after a stellar Under-19 World Cup held in 2020 where he was awarded the man of the tournament. Since then, the youngster took the highway upwards, debuting for India in 2022 and becoming a vital cog in Tests and T20Is. 

Jaiswal was born in Uttar Pradesh, but the hunger to play cricket and aspiration to play for the Indian team brought him to Mumbai, where he had to stroll grounds to the ground in search of opportunities to play cricket. His cricketing journey is the perfect anecdote of an Indian story as Jaiswal has come up from a very humble background and fought his way to the top with sheer talent and determination. 

At 17, the talented top-order batter made his first-class debut in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season and made his List-A debut during India's U-23 tour of Bangladesh, later in September. Jaiswal’s growth in the domestic and age-group levels meant that he was selected for the U-19 World Cup held in 2020. But even after selection into the Indian U-19 team, he was not successful from the word go and had to do everything in a harder way. A century in the Asia Cup preceding the World Cup helped him clinch a spot for the U-19 World Cup. He piled on more than 400 runs in the tournament, and the fact that he had to struggle a lot to reach that level made his success even sweeter. 

Like various other U-19 talents in the past, Jaiswal too was picked by Rajasthan Royals based on immense talent and expectations of their improvement into a star in future years. Jaiswal was bought for INR 2.4 crore. 

The youngster made his IPL debut against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and won a million hearts when he greeted the legendary wicketkeeper with a “namaste” to welcome Dhoni on the crease. With the bat, Jaiswal didn’t see much success in his first IPL season as he found it difficult, where he got benched after failing to impress in his first three matches. 

The youngster went back to domestic circles and bettered himself for the toughest T20 league. Jaiswal was sensational during the 2020 Vijay Hazare season, where he topped the run-charts for Mumbai with a total of 564 runs, including three centuries and a fifty. It was followed by an equally impressive 2021 domestic season, just ahead of the 2021 IPL edition, where he scored 249 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 148.21, including a maiden IPL fifty against Chennai Super Kings.

In IPL 2022, the young left-handed opener scored 258 runs, showing consistency, but it was IPL 2023 that truly defined his arrival. Amassing 625 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 163.61, including a century against Mumbai Indians (124) and five fifties, he emerged as the Royals’ leading run-scorer and won the Emerging Player of the Tournament award. His record-breaking 13-ball fifty against Kolkata Knight Riders remains the fastest in IPL history. 

In IPL 2024, he continued his form with 435 runs, including an unbeaten 104 against Mumbai Indians, helping Rajasthan Royals reach the playoffs.

On the international stage, Jaiswal debuted in Test cricket against the West Indies in July 2023, scoring a majestic 171 on debut. His T20I debut followed in August 2023 against the same opposition, and he smashed a maiden T20I century (100 off 49 balls) against Nepal at the 2023 Asian Games.
However, the defining moment came in the 2024 home Test series against England, where he scored 712 runs, including back-to-back double centuries (209 and 214*), becoming the third Indian after Vinod Kambli and Virat Kohli to achieve this feat. He also hit a record-equalling 12 sixes in a single Test innings in Rajkot. 

In the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jaiswal’s 112 in Perth silenced doubters, proving his mettle overseas. He played a couple of vital fifties Down Under and finished that tour as India’s best batter. 

Jaiswal remains a cornerstone for Rajasthan Royals, retained for IPL 2025 at INR 18 Crores—one of the highest retention prices—reflecting his status as a premier talent.

A member of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad, though unused, Jaiswal’s journey from Mumbai’s maidans to global stardom embodies resilience and brilliance, positioning him as Indian cricket’s next flagbearer.
Recently, the youngster made a bold move by deciding to shift his base from Mumbai to Goa to play domestic cricket.

(As of April 2025)