'It was great moment in my life' - Yashasvi Jaiswal opens up on first interaction with MS Dhoni

Yashasvi Jaiswal's stocks are rising and rising fast enough for everyone to take notice. The left-handed batter had an amazing Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) and aggregated 625 runs in 14 games at an eye-catching strike rate of 163.61 - a lot more than his all-time IPL career strike rate of 148.73. His unforgettable run included five half-centuries and one ton that came in the 1000th IPL game at Wankhede.

The young batting sensation was rewarded for his stellar season as he was deservedly honoured with the Emerging Player of the Season award. After being named as one of the reserve players to travel to London for the final of the World Test Championship, Jaiswal got the opportunity to interact with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane among others. Although he didn't make it to the playing XI, he got the valuable opportunity to learn a thing or two from the seniors and vowed to inculcate the same.

A similar opportunity was there for the taking earlier in his playing career when he came across the former India skipper MS Dhoni and the Mumbai batter didn't let it slip either. While reminiscing about the moment in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, the southpaw revealed the invaluable advice that the five-time IPL champion gave him.

"It was a great moment in my life. It was the first time I had seen Dhoni up close. I tried in the middle of games to have a conversation with him. He told me to keep playing cricketing shots and keep faith in myself and to keep my mind at peace. These are simple things but they are very difficult to do in real life. You need a lot of patience."

In the interaction with The Indian Express, the Rajasthan Royals opener also opened up on how he considers himself extremely fortunate to be living his dream and also shared the feeling when he is able to entertain the followers of the sport by virtue of his game.

"I only think about what I should do. I don't think much about other things. If there are a few things that would enhance my cricket, then I would do it. I respect the game, and I feel blessed that I am doing something which I have always dreamt of. And if I am able to entertain and spread happiness with my skills, that's great."

“If someone says ‘Wow, Yashasvi, what a shot you have played', ‘what a catch you have taken' or ‘what a run-out you pulled off', that's a blessing for me. I want to stay humble and enjoy my game. I respect what God has given me and want to take it forward peacefully," he concluded.