Vaibhav Suryavanshi was at a meeting with the India Under-19 team ahead of their Asia Cup preparations when a member of the coaching staff broke the news to the 13-year-old that he had been selected by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL mega auction on Monday.
“I’m speechless…I don’t know what to say. This is a big thing for our family. I had a feeling that he would be selected, but I never dreamed that there would be a bidding process,” says Sanjeev Suryavanshi, Vaibhav’s father. Indian Express,
This young player recently caught everyone’s attention when he became the youngest batsman (13 years old) to score an international century by scoring 104 runs off 62 balls in the Youth Test for India Under-19 against Australia Under-19 in Chennai. , 288 days). The left-handed batsman’s century came in 58 balls, making it the fastest youth Test century by an Indian and the second fastest in the world.
“Everything is coming to me like a flashback. I myself was a cricket tragic. But I had to kill that dream when I moved to Mumbai at the age of 19 to earn money. I did a lot of jobs. I worked as a bouncer in a nightclub in Colaba, working in a Sulabh toilet,” recalls an emotional Sanjeev.
“The 12 years I spent in Mumbai, I used to wonder when my luck would change. Now my son has made it a reality. I don’t know what will happen in the future but after this I will not have to borrow money from anyone for his cricket,” he further said.
Watch 13 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s quick inning of 82 runs against Australia Under-19.
RR selected him for 1.10 crores pic.twitter.com/7mMvKHtbvv
– ICT Fan (@Delphy06) 25 November 2024
Suryavanshi first came into limelight earlier this year when he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar at the age of 12, making him one of the youngest players to play in India’s premier first-class tournament.
“Cricket is coming back to Bihar. Ranji Trophy is back. A Budget Rs 450 crore has already been passed for the renovation of Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. And now Vaibhav has created a stir. He will definitely play for India in the future,” BCA president Rakesh Tiwari told this newspaper.
Sanjeev is happy that his son will be under his favorite player Rahul Dravidwho is on top now Rajasthan Royals,
“Over the years, the Royals have groomed youngsters. Be it Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel or Ryan Parag, all are products of the Rajasthan Royals franchise. I have full hope that Vaibhav will also follow the same path,” says Sanjeev, who hails from Samastipur district of Bihar.
Manoj Ojha, Vaibhav’s childhood coach, agrees with Sanjeev’s sentiments: “Perfect for Vaibhav. There is no better franchise than Rajasthan Royals for a young player.
“VVS Laxman rates him very highly and keeps an eye on his development. He had said last year that the next two years are going to be very important for Vaibhav. If someone like VVS Laxman is praising him, there must be something special in the child,” says Ojha.
Vaibhav is yet to set the stage on fire in the five Ranji Trophy matches he has played so far. He has been able to score only 100 runs with the highest score of 41. Madhya PradeshHowever, on Saturday, making his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Rajkot, he hit two sixes off Rajasthan left-arm pacer Aniket Chaudhary before being dismissed for 13 off six balls.
One thing that was worrying Sanjeev was how his son would deal with this price pressure.
“The money is good. Whatever I get will go into his fixed deposit. But my biggest fear is how he will deal with this situation. I have not talked to him yet. I will talk to them and make sure IPL The auction doesn’t cross his mind, he still has a long way to go,” says the father.
Vaibhav will be in action for India Under-19 in the Asia Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Saturday.