Every cricketer’s story is full of sacrifices, and for everyone who makes it, thousands miss out. That could have been the case with Tejasvi Jaiswal. The name might sound familiar. That’s because he’s Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s older brother. He also happens to be the reason why Yashasvi plays for India. Four years older, Tejasvi had decided more than a decade ago that it’d have to be his brother who goes on to live the dream.
Leaving cricket for family
Sent to Mumbai by their fathers, being older, Tejasvi realised they both couldn’t pursue the costly endeavour cricket was becoming. So, he quit. Moved to Delhi to help his brother dream on and to ensure he’s able to get his elder sisters married. At the end of the day, that’s the responsibility of the eldest son in India—to ensure he takes the pain so that the family thrives.
“I also wanted to play cricket, but the financial situation of our family was not good. Yashasvi was doing well… So by the end of 2013, I quit Mumbai and cricket and moved to Delhi, where a relative runs a shop,” Tejasvi told Indian Express. “By 2021, my sisters got married and Yashasvi got the IPL contract. Life eased for us after that,” he added.
Age fraud accusations & difficult to make ends meet
One of the reasons why Tejasvi quit cricket was because he was benched after allegations of age fraud. Life was already getting tough for the Jaiswal brothers, as they weren’t able to afford food for even two times in a day. All this happened before Jwala Singh, Yashasvi’s coach and guardian, had come into the picture.
“I played one game in the Harris Shield and picked up seven wickets. Then people started saying that I had an age-verification issue. I was benched for a year and a half. Yashasvi was doing extremely well, and I didn’t want his prospects to be affected because of me. Anyway, Mumbai was too expensive for both of us. It was getting difficult for both of us to have two meals a day. At that point, Jwala sir, Yashasvi’s coach, wasn’t in the picture yet,” he added.
Better late than never
Mere five days ago, at 27, Tejasvi Jaiswal scored his maiden Ranji Trophy half-century. He’d left the sport for 7 years and thanks to his brother’s success, he can pursue his dream once again. “Tune sab ke liye kiya, apne sapne ko choda, bahut sacrifice kiya, abhi tumhara time hai, enjoy karo (You sacrificed your dream for us, now it is your time, enjoy it),” Yashasvi wrote for his brother after he scored that fifty for Tripura.
“It was destiny. I decided to move to Tripura, enrolled in a college, played local cricket, scored runs, picked wickets and now I am a first-class cricketer,” Tejasvi said while signing off.
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