14-year-old Baroda player making waves with batting

VADODARA: A 14-year-old  cricketer is making waves in the sub-junior cricket at Baroda Cricket Association (BCA). Deep Vijay Jaiswal scored a sizzling century against Sunil Gawaskar XI in an U-14 match at Mumbai last December. Jaiswal scored 157 runs off 168 balls that included 21 fours and three sixes.

Jaiswal reached his century with two huge sixes. An opener, Jaiswal also scored 68 runs off 82 balls that included eight boundaries and one six against Dilip Vengsarkar XI a fortnight ago. Though the match resulted in a draw, his innings helped Baroda post a decent score of 225 runs and take the first innings lead.

A student of Silver Oak School, he started playing cricket at the age of eight years at Hindu Gymkhana in 2005. He represented BCA's U-13 team in west zone tournament in Pune in 2007, played as vice-captain in west zone tourney and represented U-14 Gujarat team in Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2008-09 at Delhi. He played Maharani Shantadevi Inter-School Trophy in the city in 2006 when he was just 10. "I just try to focus on my game and never play under pressure. If the ball is in my hitting area I go after it," Jaiswal told TOI.

His batting style has attracted attention of many in BCA and may well go on to play first-class cricket in future.