Yashasvi Jaiswal was one of the stars of the recently-concluded U-19 World Cup in South Africa. Jaiswal finished the world cup as its highest run-scorer, and was also named the man of the tournament. Even as India suffered a loss in the final against Bangladesh, Jaiswal - along with many other Indian cricketers, earned fame with their brilliant performances.
In the final, he scored a gritty 88 as the Indian batting order collapsed. His innings steered the side to a respectable total in the game.
During the initial overs of the Indian innings, the Bangladesh pacers were significantly aggressive in their body-language - continuously sledging the opening duo of Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena. However, Jaiswal simply smiled and chose not to retaliate verbally.
In an interview with the Times of India, he revealed the reason for keeping calm.
"That was because of Dravid (Rahul Dravid) sir and Sachin sir (Sachin Tendulkar). They always told me one thing - ‘talk with your bat not with your mouth’," said Jaiswal.
"So, I always keep that advice on top of my list. And that’s why I stayed calm and didn’t respond to any of the sledge (in the final against Bangladesh). That’s why I was smiling. I wanted to bat for long and put as many runs on the board. This was the only thing going in my mind at that point of time."
After the match, however, things turned ugly as players from both the sides clashed on the field and sanctions were imposed on five players.
"The elation and disappointment experienced by some players after the game spilled over into unedifying scenes that have no place in our sport," Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s General Manager Cricket had said.
"Respect is at the very heart of the spirit of cricket, and players are expected to show self-discipline, congratulate the opposition on their successes and enjoy the success of their own team."
