Who doesn't know? Yashavi Jaiswal today? This young player has shone in a very short time. Jaiswal recently scored a large number of runs in the Test series against Australia. Regarding the young man's recent opening round, his childhood coach Jwala Singh She took part in an exclusive chat with Cricket Times. During this, he gave his opinion on his journey and Jaiswal's recent performance and also mentioned Prithvi ShawWhich is currently going through a bad phase. Below are some excerpts from the conversation.
Question: You are currently coaching young boys in Mumbai, and you are originally from Gorakhpur in UP. How was the journey from UP to Mumbai? Where did it all start?
Singh: You see, I was very young when I started in Gorakhpur. I was very good at studying. In 1992, the World Cup was going on, and India has been defeated Pakistan. I used to read about Sachin Tendulkar and Ramakant Achkarar Sir and I also became interested in playing cricket at the professional level.
I read magazines like Cricket Samraat where I saw Sachin's name. I felt that I also had to make a name in cricket. Then I played a bit in Gorakhpur because my father gave me a cricket kit. But I was told that I wouldn't get many opportunities there. People were saying that if I stay here, nothing will happen, so I decided to come to Mumbai. I came to Mumbai in 1995. My journey was very difficult from the beginning. When I came to Mumbai, my father brought me. Conditions in Mumbai were completely different – in Gorakhpur we lived in a big house, but in Mumbai three or four people lived in a small room. My journey full of struggle began from here.
Read also: Exclusive interview with Satyam Dixit: Professional cricketer and very close friend of Indian pacer Kuldeep Yadav
Question: How do you recognize talent in players?
Singh: Our academy is very large and we offer training at different levels. We have 40 to 45 coaches and about 50 to 60 staff for different levels of players. However, I personally focus on those kids in whom I see attitude, hard work and dedication to the game. Take Jaiswal's example. I was impressed by his determination and dedication, and then I helped him move forward.
Question: Jaiswal got out of nowhere in the first innings of the Perth Test, and after that speculation started as to whether this young player would be able to play well in Australia or not, what was going through your mind at that time?
Singh: I think I was and will always be very confident in him because there are some players who adapt quickly to the situation and understand the game well. I think Yashavi has that art, he understands the game, he stays in the present and he has all those things. As well as his skill, he also has mental toughness, so I knew from the start that he would score goals in Australia too.
Question: In the second over of the first Test, Jaiswal sledged Starc saying the ball was coming slowly, after which there was a lot of discussion about Jaiswal's confidence. How do you see this thing? Do you think there is a change in his playing style and mentality?
Singh: If you see a player who can dominate a lot in the Indian Premier League, it means firstly that he has skill and confidence and only the last Indian team can go to Australia and trouble the Australian bowlers. This is India today. There was a time when India used to go to Australia and the Australian media would put psychological pressure on us so that the players would get some pressure, but now since then… IPL It's about time, all the world class bowlers are coming to India, that's why our batsmen also get a good idea about who is playing what, that's why if you look at all the bowlers today, they are very fair and Yashavi was scoring runs everywhere. His confidence is very high and I think the way he showed intent is good, but I will say again your process is very important, saying something to someone is a matter of time frame but then you have to perform.
Question: There is a lot of talk about Prithvi Shaw these days. The young player who was once dubbed the next Sachin has not been picked by any team in Team India or even in the IPL. It remained unsold at auction. Where did this young player go wrong?
Singh: Prithvi Shaw was and still is a very talented player. He is the first player to have played in the Under-19 World Cup. He came to me in 2015 and was with me until the World Cup. I worked a lot on his game and his mental state and I was very excited when he played in the Under-19 World Cup, but honestly I haven't seen him after 2017 to see how he looks physically and when I see the picture he looks like, I'm very surprised.
Today, I see his physicality, his body language, and I feel very sad that this player got the Next Sachin tag. As a coach, I am disappointed that he is not at the level he deserves. There must be something wrong and I still hope he works hard and gets back on his game in the future. I think he can still come back but for that he needs discipline, focus and revive himself again.
