Achieving your dream is never easy. It requires relentless hard work and determination, and even then, not everyone achieves what they desire in life. The path to success is frequently fraught with hurdles, disappointments, and times of uncertainty. However, the effort and persistence put into pursuing a dream can lead to opportunities, making the pursuit valuable, so we will look at players who overcame challenges to shine on the big stage.
1. Yashavi Jaiswal
Not born in a wealthy family, but it didn’t stop Yashavi Jaiswal from dreaming big, struggles in childhood with his father working hard to make ends meet, with family members working hard to make sure that the batter got what he wanted in his life. The batter was born Suriwayan, a small city near Varanasi on 28th December 2001, born to Bhupendra Jaiswal, the owner of a small hardware store, and Kanchan Jaiswal, a housewife.
With his talents, his parents wanted to achieve his dream and send him to Mumbai, where he would get better opportunities. He was trained in Azad Maidan and he found it hard to find a place to live, but he got one in a dairy shop in return for work but was kicked out eventually as he couldn’t work. He lived in the ground with the groundskeepers and started selling Panipuri to earn some money. His hard work paid off as he was spotted by Jwala Singh, who had a cricket academy in Santacruz, and he eventually became the legal guardian of Jaiswal. Where he worked hard, and he was selected for Mumbai U-16 after his performance in the 2015 Giles Shield, which gave him the way to India U-19, he played in the 2018 U19 Asia Cup, where he was the player of the tournament and scored 318 runs, and was also the player of the tournament in 2020 U-19 World Cup, as he was the highest run-getter as he scored 400 runs.
He is the youngest double centurion in the history of List A cricket at 17 years, 292 days. He was bought by RR in 2020 IPL Auction, because of his performances in domestic career and the concluded U-19 World Cup, in the 2023 edition, he was the RR’s leading run scorer with 625 runs in 14 matches. Getting his Indian cap in a test series against West Indies, and he did not disappoint the fans as he scored 171 runs, has scored two double centuries in 9 matches, and has a century in T20i as well. This shows how he never gave up on his dream and was always working hard and his hardwork and determination showed up and is now called the future of Indian cricket.
2. Hardik Pandya
The man needs no introduction, the current no.1 all rounder in T20i, the t20 world cup winner. Born in Surat, Gujarat to Himanshu Pandya and Nalini Pandya, his father had a small car finance business in Surat but it was closed. Hence, they had to shift to Vadodara, and to give proper facilities to Hardik and his brother Krunal. Their father worked as a loan agent in the city. Both of the brothers got into Kiran More’s cricket academy, they had to live in a rented apartment due to lack of finances and used a second hand car to travel to the academy. Hardik dropped out of school after ninth grade to focus more on his studies, Hardik Pandya was already a clutch player at the club level, winning matches single-handedly. His attitude problems got him dropped out of state age-group teams.
He has played for Baroda since 2013, winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2013-2014. He was in Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021 with his brother, when both of them were scouted by MI. In, IPL 2022 becoming the captain of a new team Gujarat Titans, and led to success in the first season itself and reaching finals in the next, before coming back to MI and becoming the captain. The performances in IPL got him a call up for the Indian team, he played his first match on 27 January 2016 against Australia getting two wickets. He became the first Indian to score more than 30 runs and take four wickets in the same T20i game, it was when India faced England, in the 3rd match of the series as he got 4 for 38, and scored unbeaten 33 runs for 14 balls. His performances were not always consistent, which led to him being dropped out of the team, he got his ODI and test debut in 2016 itself, he has played 86 ODI matches and has taken 84 wickets and has scored 1769, and has played 11 test matches taking 17 wickets and scoring 532 runs. He became the captain of the national team against Ireland. In a match against England, he was the first Indian player to score a half-century and take four wickets in a single T20i game.
His performances in the 2021 T20 World Cup wasn't impressive but he quickly overshadowed it in the next edition, with his all round show, as he took eight wickets and scored 150 runs. In the 2024 edition, he was the deputy of Rohit Sharma and made a significant contribution in India's win, he was in the team of the tournament as he took 11 wickets and scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 150. His numbers in T20i are awe-inspiring as he has taken 84 wickets and has scored 1492 runs at a strike rate of 140 in 100 matches for India. A great man once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
3. Jasprit Bumrah
Born on 6th December, to Ahmebebad, he was born to a Sikh Punjabi family, his father was a chemist, who died when Bumrah was just 5 years old due to hepatitis B. His mother was a single mom who raised him, and his sister Juhika. Initially, Bumrah wasn't much interested in the game, but his mother and his coaches asked him to pursue it and that's what he did, playing for Gujarat in the domestic circuit. Even he wasn't aware, what he was going to achieve in the future, his bowling action was a problem as many people thought it was unorthodox and it was not helping him get the line and length right. He proved everyone wrong and he is currently the best bowler in the world, and probably the best bowler India has ever produced.
4. Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed ‘Miyan’ Siraj, born on 13th March to an auto-rickshaw driver and a housewife, started playing cricket when he was in 7th class, in 2015, he bowled with a cricket ball, and in two years he had an IPL contract of 2.6 crores, and in the same year he got the India debut. His family were not financially strong, but that didn't stop Siraj from becoming the no.1 ODI bowler, he would become a crucial part of India, the most memorable performance is his India tour of Australia in 2020, and in Asia Cup 2023 he picked six wickets.
5. Amir Hussain Lone
The captain of Jammu and Kashmir Para-cricket team, he is known as the armless cricketers, he lost both of his arms when he was eight years old, due to his family’s sawmill. Most players would stop pursuing their career, and it is a significant setback, but Amir was different and he was determined to become a big player, and that's what he did, Sachin Tendulkar was his greatest Cheerleader, and he got a chance to play with him in The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL).
