IPL: Vaibhav, bringing Bihar cricket back to headlines for right reasons?

The morning after, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the flavour of the international cricket community after the 14-year-old slammed a sensational hundred off 35 balls in only his third IPL game for Rajasthan Royals on Monday. There is now hope that his feat will work, in some way, to put Bihar cricket back in the headlines for the right reasons after a long time.

It was only January last year when, in a bizarre incident, two teams claiming to be the official Bihar outfit turned up at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna for a Ranji Trophy game against Mumbai. While one side was picked by the faction led by Rakesh Tiwary, president of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) and an influential member of the BJP state unit, the other was selected by BCA secretary Amit Kumar — with their tussle for power now at the mercy of the court.

For a state which has been the birthplace of Indian cricket stalwarts like Kirti Azad, Hari Gidwani, Ramesh Saxena, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Saba Karim and Ishan Kishan in recent times, Bihar lost its relevance in the country’s cricketing map when the Indian cricket board disaffiliated BCA at the start of the new millennium. Jharkhand Cricket Association (JCA) was recognised as the official body to represent the region at BCCI meetings, with cricketers from the erstwhile state excluded for nearly 15 years before being re-inducted into the mainstream in 2016.

‘’It’s in this context that Vaibhav’s emergence assumes great significance for Bihar cricket. There is no dearth of talent in the state as there is a talent pool of 60-70 players culled from the inter-district tournaments and there are three to four other teenagers of Vaibhav’s calibre waiting in the wings,’’ the BCA president told National Herald over phone.

Vaibhav in full flow on Monday

A claim that is contested by the anti-Tiwary faction, who allege that he was holding on to his position in violation of the constitution, and selection to the Bihar team is not based on merit alone. Meanwhile, Aditya Verma — a former BCA secretary and whistleblower in the case which blew the lid on the IPL match-fixing scandal back in 2014 — has staked a counter claim by forming a Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) to further queer the pitch, pun intended.  

It’s in such a backdrop that Vaibhav's journey from remote Motipur village in Samastipur to the IPL arclights deserves all kudos. He became the youngest IPL millionaire when, in the last mega auction, Rajasthan Royals got into a bidding war with Delhi Capitals and went up to Rs 1.1 crore for the precocious youngster.

As the Vaibhav story began going viral overnight, a number of photos and videos of a much younger version of him began doing the rounds. A particularly endearing one was of his father Sanjiv carrying a young Vaibhav in the gallery during an IPL game — with 'Pune' written on his bandana — possibly referring to the now defunct Rising Pune Super Giant team which played the 2016-17 seasons.

Speaking on the X handle of a regional news channel in Bihar, Suryavanshi Sr thanked the Royals management for the way they handled his son with kid gloves for the last three to four months. ‘’Everyone from Rahul Dravid sir, Vikram Rathour, Zubin Bharucha to the senior teammates helped him work on his game and Vaibhav, on his part, worked extremely hard for this day,’’ he said in the video, with Vaibhav’s mother standing next to him.

Sanjiv Suryavanshi, Vaibhav's fatherEveryone from Rahul Dravid sir, Vikram Rathour, Zubin Bharucha to the senior teammates had helped him work on his game and Vaibhav, on his part, worked extremely hard for this day

A few Bihar cricket insiders, however, said the media stories in circulation of Vaibhav’s father selling his land to fuel his son’s dreams were not true. ‘’He is from the upper caste and his father, who aspired to become a cricketer, is a businessman. Every alternate day, he would accompany his son from Samastipur to Patna (a distance of 100 km each way) for a training session, and the hard work paid off,’’ they said.

Speaking to Cricketnext.com, Vaibhav’s childhood coach Manish Ojha said: “Vaibhav kept on getting fame in Bihar, but his parents have played a huge role. His mother woke up at 4.00 am to make food for Vaibhav. His father accompanied him to trainings and matches. We did contribute as coaches, but his parents are the driving force,” Ojha said.

Vaibhav’s success, meanwhile, has brought great joy to his village. His uncle Rajiv Kumar Suryavanshi told ANI: “The villagers here are happy. It is a matter of pride for our district, state, and the nation.’’