Rajasthan Royals’ Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara shared a fascinating anecdote on Thursday, offering a glimpse into Yashasvi Jaiswal’s formative years as a cricketer.
Speaking on Sky Sports during the second match of India’s 2025 Test series against England in Birmingham, Sangakkara revealed how and why Yashasvi Jaiswal earned the nickname ‘Joeswal’.
"We had Joe Root at Rajasthan Royals, and we used to call Jaiswal 'Joeswal' because he never left Joe's side, and Rooty was soaking up everything,” Sangakkara said while analysing Yashasvi’s technique.
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Joe Root spent the 2023 Indian Premier League season with the Royals and Sangakkara described how the young left-hander would shadow the Englishman constantly, eager to learn from one of the game’s modern greats.
"They weren't talking just T20; they were talking about everything - cricket and life - and he would sit right next to Joe for about four hours every night, just pestering him with questions or sitting open-mouthed listening to Rooty,” he said.
"Rooty was absolutely brilliant in our environment, and he's learned so much, and that's another aspect of Jaiswal. He's a fast learner, and he wants to learn,” Sangakkara added.
Interestingly, Jaiswal amassed 1,478 runs in Test cricket last year, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the format only behind Joe Root, who topped the charts with 1,556 runs in 17 matches.
Jaiswal’s tally was the most runs scored by any Indian in Test matches played in 2024.
In his nascent Test career so far, Yashasvi Jaiswal has amassed 1,990 runs at an average of 53.78, including five centuries and 11 fifties.
Sangakkara insisted that the numbers speak volumes about Jaiswal’s calibre as a batter.
"The easiest way to do it is to look at his numbers, and they’re incredible,” Sangakkara said. "Any young cricketer with this as their foundation - you know that he's incredibly good, not just technically but temperament-wise, and he has an appetite that separates him from other young cricketers of the same age.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently a part of India’s squad for the five-match series against England. He scored 101 off 144 balls in the first Test and then made 87 from 107 deliveries in the first innings of the second Test in Birmingham.
