Like Prithvi Shaw, Yashasvi Jaiswal was another high-profile player to submit a request to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for NOC to leave Mumbai for a new challenge in a different state team. But while Shaw saw his wish come true, Jaiswal made a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay with the domestic cricket giants. For those who were wondering why Jaiswal had a change of heart, MCA president Ajinkya Naik’s recent statement to Mumbai Mirror answers all the questions.
According to Naik, Jaiswal stayed put after the intervention from legendary cricketer Rohit Sharma. Naik revealed that Rohit, India’s ODI skipper, urged the young superstar to continue playing for the Ranji’s greatest team by asking him to give respect to Mumbai cricket, which gave him a platform to showcase his talent and enter the international stage with the Indian team.
Rohit also served a reminder to Jaiswal about his cricketing roots and how his career started taking shape in the maidans of Mumbai.
Rohit stepped in to stop Jaiswal from quitting Mumbai
“Rohit asked Yashasvi to stay on in Mumbai at this stage of his career. He explained to Yashasvi that there was a lot of pride and prestige in playing for a team like Mumbai, which has won the Ranji Trophy a record 42 times. Rohit also told Yashasvi that he must not forget that it was because of Mumbai cricket that he got a platform to show his talent and go on to play for India, and he must be grateful to the city for that. It was here in Mumbai that he started playing cricket on the maidans and then was picked for all the age group teams of Mumbai, Mumbai Cricket Association president Ajinkya Naik told Mumbai Mirror.
Jaiswal had decided to leave Mumbai to play for Goa and submitted a request to MCA for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to make the move. However, a few months later, the 23-year-old batter reversed his decision and decided to stay with Mumbai.
Naik further revealed that Jaiswal also spoke to other senior cricketers before deciding to continue playing for Mumbai.
Hailing from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Jaiswal travelled to Mumbai to fulfil his cricketing dreams. After a tough initial phase filled with several roadblocks, Jaiswal made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai as a teenager in 2019. He has appeared in seven first-class matches for Mumbai.
The southpaw enjoyed a decent outing on the recently concluded England tour, where he scored 411 runs from five matches at an average of 41.10 with two hundreds and as many fifties. His 118-run knock in the final Test at the Oval was crucial in helping India draw the series 2-2.