IPL to offer a bigger platform for Jaiswal to shine, Royals boss says

Dubai: The Rajasthan Royals management, who roped in the precocious talent of Yashasvi Jaiswal, feels that the 17-year-old will get a bigger stage to showcase his talent in the Indian Premier League this season. Jaiswal, whose rags-to-riches story had gone viral over the past week, had been a standout peformer for India and played a key role in the ‘Boys in Blue’ making the final of the Under-19 World Cup.

“We are now looking to provide him a platform on a much bigger stage in the IPL, whilst continuing to work with him to keep developing his all round game, which will hopefully result in him meeting all his dreams and goals of successfully representing the country,’’ said Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket at Rajasthan Royals.

Speaking to Gulf News, Bharucha said Jaisal - who is a product of their talent-hunt programme - made an immediate impact on his scouts with his fearless approach to batting. “Yashaswi has been tracked by our scouting department from when he started playing junior cricket in Mumbai. He attended our trials last year and showed his potential on the very first ball where he walked across his stumps and flicked it for four. That pretty much said it all,’’ he revealed.

It was at the IPL auction in December last year that the Jaipur-based franchise bid for him with a handsome amount of Rs 24 million - for the left-handed opener’s exploits with the Mumbai team (he became the youngest player in the world to score a double century in a listed ‘A’ game for Mumbai in October) had preceded him in the auction hall of ITC Royals Hotel.

“We are delighted to have Yashasvi with the Royals this season. He’s had a good World Cup and has showcased his potential on a wider stage,’’ the official said. “He is currently full of confidence and we would definitely like him to continue to bat with that clear and courageous mindset. We also feel he has a natural ability to turn a ball and his leg breaks could be more than handy on certain wickets,’’ Bharucha analysed.

Looking ahead at his career, he said: “He is still extremely young and we will be setting out a longterm plan to develop various aspects of his game which need tightening up.

“In the short term we will be utilising the lead-up to the IPL to enhance his skills and hopefully, this will prepare him to play under a variety of conditions and against a variety of opposition attacks.’’