"The city has made me who I am" - Team India star opens up on 'tough' decision to quit Mumbai and move to Goa

Team India star Yashasvi Jaiswal has opened up on his decision to quit Mumbai and move to Goa for the next domestic season. Jaiswal wrote a letter to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), seeking a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The upcoming 2025-26 domestic season will see him represent Goa. Jaiswal has played 36 first-class matches and has scored 3712 runs with 13 hundreds and 12 fifties. He made his debut for Mumbai in 2019.

Jaiswal opened up on why he decided to move to Goa despite it being a 'tough' call. He said that Mumbai has made him who he is and will be indebted to the MCA.

“It was a very tough decision for me. Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai. The city has made me who I am, and all my life, I will be indebted to the MCA,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The left-hander revealed that Goa offered him a leadership role which he could not decline. He said that it was an important opportunity which he took as it came.

“Goa has thrown me a new opportunity and it has offered me a leadership role. My first goal will be to do well for India and whenever I’m not on national duty, I will be playing for Goa and try to make them go deep into the tournament. This was an (important) opportunity which came my way and I just took it," the 23-year-old stated.

It will be a big move for the India batter at still a very young age in his career. Jaiswal has followed the likes of Arjun Tendulkar and Siddhesh Lad, who also moved to Goa.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal played in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy for Mumbai

Yashasvi Jaiswal was last seen for Mumbai in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. After returning from the Border Gavaskar Trophy, he was among several other Indian players who had to participate in domestic cricket following BCCI's strict guidelines.

He played for them in the fixture against Jammu and Kashmir, opening the batting alongside Rohit Sharma. The left-hander scored 4 and 26 runs in the two innings, respectively.

He was drafted in Mumbai's squad for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Vidarbha but missed the game due to an ankle injury. Jaiswal was left out of India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad and is currently playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.