India cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal has expressed his intention to sponsor the “Best Batsman” Award for the upcoming Harris Shield and Giles Shield (Final) cricket tournaments for the 2025 season, the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) said in a press release on Monday.
MSSA said that Jaiswal’s gesture was meant to encourage and support budding school-level cricketers. Jaiswal will be sponsoring a complete cricket kit for the Best Batsman of the tournament. The award will be presented during the official prize distribution ceremony following the final match of the prestigious Harris and Giles Shield tournaments.
As inter-school competitions, the Harris Shield and Giles Shield tournaments have been the first steps for many of Mumbai’s top cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Vinod Kambli, Prithvi Shaw, and Sarfaraz Khan. Jaiswal is also known to have played in the Harris Shield. While the Harris Shield is an Under-16 competition, the Giles Shield is for Under-14 players. Both tournaments are over 120 years old.
The memorable partnership of 664 runs between Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli for Dadar’s Shardashram Vidya Mandir against St Xavier’s High School in 1988, where both batsmen individually scored over 300 runs, had come in the Harris Shield.
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“This is indeed a commendable gesture from Jaiswal, who himself has played in the Harris Shield during his formative years. His continued association with the tournament reflects his deep sense of gratitude and respect for his roots, as well as his desire to give back to the platform that helped shape his cricketing journey,” Nadim Memon, Cricket Secretary of the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA), said.
Memon also expressed his sincere appreciation for this thoughtful gesture from Jaiswal. He remarked that such acts of generosity from professional players serve as an inspiration for young talents, reinforcing the spirit of sportsmanship and commitment that defines Mumbai’s cricketing legacy.
