Jaiswal repaid the faith of the selectors and the team management by hitting a ton on Test debut.
On his Test debut, the southpaw slammed 171 off 387 balls (16 fours and 1 six) and added 229 runs for the opening wicket with skipper Rohit Sharma (103) to lead the foundation of India’s massive first innings total of 421/5 (declared).
After taking a healthy lead of 271 innings, the visitors bundled out the hosts for a paltry 130 to seal the Test match inside three days.
For his match-winning ton, Jaiswal earned the Player-of-the-Match award and the 21-year-old opened up about his cricketing journey following the game.
In a heart-warming video shared by the BCCI on Twitter, an emotional Jaiswal said: “Hello. Kaafi acha laga (It’s an amazing feeling),”
“Bahut hi lambi journey rahi hai (It’s been a long journey). I have imagined myself playing for India so many times,” he added.
Jaiswal, who caught everyone’s attention in the 2020 edition of U-19 World Cup, comes from a very humble background. He used to sell pani puri outside the Wankhede Stadium and put up in tents in the humidity and rain of Mumbai.
Despite the obstacles, the left-hander managed to find enough time to train for the game.
“This is just the beginning and by god’s grace I want to continue this hard work. I want to keep contributing to the team. Thank you so much for your love and support. Kaafi yaadgaar rahega ye (This will be very memorable for me),” Jaiswal said.
With this victory, India took an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. The second Test will be held at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain from July 20.