Two families from two different parts of the country - having soaked in the Test cap presentation to their most famous family member from the ground - seated in the same enclosure at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium, had the same feelings: a mix of pride and emotion for their beloved’s achievement.
And the common thread to both K.S. Bharat and Suryakumar Yadav’s Test debuts was: the wait was worth it.
Suryakumar made a phone call to his family on Tuesday and informed them that the family’s dream of seeing Surya in India’s whites was to come to reality on Thursday and he wanted them to savour the moment with him. While his wife Devisha and mother Swapna boarded a flight to Nagpur, his father Ashok, a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Institute in Mumbai, managed a day off and arrived here on Thursday morning.
Similarly, Bharat’s wife Anjali - who was in Nagpur for the last week called up his parents on Wednesday and his parents - Kona Srinivas Rao and mother Manga Devi - flew down along with his sister Manoghna and her kids.
“It’s a very special day for all of us. We have waited for this moment for very long. Test cricket is the greatest format, and it’s a proud moment for everyone,” Anjali told Sportstar while watching the proceedings along with her family.
Echoing the sentiments, Devisha admitted it was a surreal feeling to be on the ground and watch Suryakumar become an all-format international cricketer. “To be on the ground for his debut was just special. For his T20 debut, I was at the stadium, but since there was a bubble, I couldn’t be on the ground,” she said.
Both Suryakumar and Bharat have had a prolonged struggle to earn the debut cap after going through a prolonged domestic grind. While Suryakumar, 32, made his First Class debut well over a decade ago, Bharat will celebrate his 30th birthday and a decade as First Class cricketer later this year.
While Bharat’s father let his daughter-in-law do the talking, Ashok, Suryakumar’s father, summed up the moment.
“It happened quite late for him. But with the game he has, I felt it was always going to happen. Also, he has done well in red-ball cricket at the domestic level as well,” said Yadav Sr.
Anjali stressed on her husband’s belief in “working hard” being the recipe for his success, Devisha - who made Suryakumar change his approach and lifestyle five years ago to make him convert his potential into performance - stressed the long wait has reaped benefits.
“It’s just the fruits of labour over the years. It’s come a little late, it’s come when he is 32, but as long as he has gotten here, the wait is worth it,” she said.
While Bharat’s folks were thrilled with his stumping on Thursday and are going to watch him bat on Friday, the Yadavs have to return to Mumbai on Friday afternoon.
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