'Watching these fake pani-puri stories disappoint me' - Jwala Singh rubbishes rumours on Yashasvi Jaiswal's Azad Maidan days

India and Rajasthan Royals batter Yashasvi Jaiswal’s childhood coach Jwala Singh clarified reports on the cricketer selling pani-puri during his early cricketing days. Lately, Jaiswal has been the talk of the town for his magnificent performances with the bat and garnered massive limelight. 

While the flamboyant southpaw has put in the hard yards and made massive strides to earn a call-up from the national team, his humbling background of selling pani-puri on the streets of Mumbai, took the internet by storm. 

However, in a recent interview, Jaiswal’s childhood coach Jwala Singh expressed his disappointment over the viral news of the cricketer selling pani-puri on the streets. The coach further spoke of Jaiswal’s cricketing journey, the struggles he faced due to financial burdens and the truth behind the viral pictures on social media.

“Yashasvi Jaiswal met me in 2013 while staying in Azad Maidan’s tent and didn’t have much financial support. Though his father worked very hard to keep the family running, there were certain limits. So, in the Azad Maidan Ground, there would be Pani-Puri trolleys that would turn up and Jaiswal would go in a friendly manner, speak with them and at times sell a few pani-puri’s to earn 20-25 rupees,” Jwala Singh told in an interview with Ishan Sharma on ‘Cric Crak’.   

“On social media, a photo and a video went viral which shows Jaiswal standing next to a pani-puri guy claiming that he is his father. In 2018, when he was selected for the U-19’s for the first time, one of the TV channels had approached me, insisting on taking visuals of Jaiswal selling pani-puri. I was disappointed but the channel requested by saying that it is ‘normal’ and took the visuals anyway,” he added.

Jwala Singh further highlighted that his family treated Jaiswal like their ‘own child’, providing all the facilities but were hurt with the fake stories being circulated. 

“So as per the visuals, media claims that the man next to him is his father, but Jaiswal’s father has come to Mumbai only for work purpose just a few times from 2013 to 2022. And during this period, Jaiswal has stayed with me and my family. We have never treated him like a student but instead as our own child and given all the facilities. So, watching these fake stories on him selling pani-puri does disappoint me because only a part of it is true. When these types of stories go viral, as a coach and a father-figure, it does hurt,” explained Jwala Singh.