Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Far from the madding crowd, Vaibhav Suryavanshi parries with the double-edged sword of fame

People who have seen him play have drawn comparisons with Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar, both of whom had earned their First Class caps at a very young age but neither younger than Vaibhav.

Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action on the third day of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Karnataka. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV/The Hindu

Coming to terms with the dichotomy of fame is akin to pulling teeth. Especially when it is newfound. Ask the 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has fast emerged as Bihar cricket’s hero, and he will tell you he finds himself in a similar predicament.

He was hounded by the local media when he made his First Class debut at the age of 12 years and 284 days against Mumbai in January 2024. People who watched him play began drawing comparisons with Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar, both of whom had earned their First Class caps at a very young age but neither younger than the lad from Samastipur in Bihar.

And then when he cracked a brilliant century off 58 balls against Australia Under-19 during the Youth Test in Chennai, becoming the youngest ever to do the same in international cricket at any level, he became an overnight sensation.

But as goes the cliched remark, sport can often be cruel. From the highest highs, you sink to the lowest of lows in no time. Vaibhav experienced something similar when batting against Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy ‘Group C’ encounter on his home turf.

After hitting a four through point off Vasuki Koushik’s first ball, he was trapped plumb in front of the sticks off the second delivery as the ball swung ever so slightly aided by the overcast conditions in Patna.

“The bowler was experienced. Last year, he helped his team (South Zone) win the Duleep Trophy (Koushik had picked five wickets in the two innings against West Zone). I had anticipated him to throw his best at me after that first boundary. And that happened,” Vaibhav would tell Sportstar later.

For a while, Vaibhav stood transfixed, trying to get his head around what had just transpired. When the reality hit him, he traced his steps back to the dressing room, almost grudgingly. A raucous crowd at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium jeered with cruel remarks about his weight and gait. Some asked him to go home and play the game ‘Free Fire’ on his phone.

By the time he reached the dugout, it seemed Vaibhav had aged a year. Once there, he collapsed in a heap and his eyes welled up. For a lad, studying in the ninth standard, this was too much to take.

“It is true that I tend to overthink. Whenever I get dismissed, I think about the future. I begin imagining what is going to happen now. But those negative thoughts subside within a day. The more I will stay stuck to my past, the more the possibility to end up ruining my future also. Instead, it is better to try and give my best in the next match,” he said.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi celebrating after scoring a century during the second day of the first Youth Test Match between India Under-19 vs Australia Under-19 at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: RAGU R/The Hindu

But he isn’t one to get bogged down by a solitary setback. The youngster, who now trains at the Gen-Next Academy in Patna under Manish Ojha and Robin Singh, said, “This is Bihar. The crowd does get a bit noisy. I have been playing local tournaments here since I was younger, where around 30,000 people used to ridicule me. It doesn’t matter. If you have some knowledge of the game, you won’t do the same. But people who just come to enjoy the game and get entertained, they resort to all sorts of things. If people like (Virat) Kohli, Sachin (Tendulkar) and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni can get trolled online, who am I?”

Moreover, there is a lot to look forward to for this unassuming youngster. After his skills became public knowledge, Vaibhav received a call from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association treasurer T. J. Srinivasaraj, who was interested in signing him for his first-division league side Nelson SC.

And just ahead of the Australia U-19 tour of India, Vaibhav received a call-up for trials of the Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals. But he doesn’t let all of this get to his head.

“I don’t give these things much thought. My father, brother, friends and coaches help me stay grounded. They don’t let me run after fame. Friends do taunt me sometimes, but they would never steer me off the right path. I never even thought I will play the Ranji Trophy. My only target is to score in heaps. If you keep scoring, the selection doors will eventually open up for you. If I improve my game, automatically more people will notice me,” he said.

The mature cricketer in Vaibhav didn’t let the early dismissal bother him further. Instead, he went on to achieve yet another milestone against Karnataka on Monday. Just when the partnership between Smaran Ravichandran and Mayank Agarwal seemed to be getting out of Bihar’s hands, Vaibhav got the southpaw to hole out to Sakib Hussain at deep midwicket.

What made the dismissal all the more special was that it came in Vaibhav’s very first over in First Class cricket. Prior to this, he had rolled his arm over only in the Cooch Behar U-19 Trophy.

He said, “It feels great, obviously. It is my first First Class wicket. But if I am being honest, I kind of expected it to happen, thinking the left-handed batter would go after me. The fielders were all stationed on the boundary lines. He wasn’t expecting a full toss and he just threw his bat at it.”

Coming to terms with the dichotomy of fame is never easy. But it so happens that a teenager with a bat from a lesser-known district of Darbhanga, who just wants to keep scoring, is built different.