Grit and Determination: Yashraj Joshi’s Heartwarming Story As He Shines In The Saurashtra Inter-District Tournament

23 Year old Yashraj Joshi is outperforming his competitors by a margin in the Tajwala Tournament, Saurashtra. The batter scored 231 in just 4 games with an incredible average of 77. But, apart from his impressive batting prowess, Joshi is as tough as one can get. Prior to competing for Saurashtra, Joshi represented the mighty Mumbai in the U-14 and U-16 categories. He was also one of the standbys for the U-19 Mumbai team. His talent was appreciated but his character was recognized. Competing in the cut-throat maidans of Mumbai made him internally robust to any situations. 

After his early years in Mumbai, Yashraj’s father was transferred to Porbandar, Saurashtra. Leaving Mumbai at 19, he sought out to find success in a different state. With a chip on his shoulder, Joshi was willing to do whatever it took to make it to the top but, due to the coronavirus outbreak, his journey was halted. As soon as cricket was up and running, Yashraj impressed the new selectors with his performances. Naturally, he was selected for the U-25 Saurashtra probables for two years running. 

Just as things were looking good, tragedy struck. Yashraj Joshi’s father was no more. With a heavy heart and a burdened back, Yashraj stepped back on the field. This time not just playing for himself but his father too.

Since his father’s passing in 2021, Yashraj has notched up incredible performances. One of the recent showings was in the Inter-District Tajwala One-Day Tournament. Representing Porbandar in 4 games, he has scored 3 fifties at quick rates. 64 off 52 Against the Rajkot Rural,  75 off 76 versus Bhavnagar District and the best of the lost against Jamnagar, 83 off mere 57 balls. His innings against Jamnagar is highly rated, not because of the amount of runs but the magnitude of the impact it had on the game. 

With numerous match winning knocks under his belt, Yashraj Joshi has made name for himself in the state of Saurashtra. After being left out of the squad, this year, he is finally expected to represent the Saurashtra U-25.