Follow UsIt was under Ashutosh Aman’s captaincy, Vaibhav Suryavanshi made his first-class debut for Bihar at the age of just 12. The left-handed opener scored 19 off 28, studded with four boundaries, against Mumbai’s strong bowling attack, and that was enough for Ashutosh to realise that Bihar had finally got its first superstar.
Suryavanshi scored 31 runs across two innings against Mumbai as Bihar lost the match by an innings and 51 runs. However, everyone around him knew that this kid was made for the big stage. It’s hardly been more than a year since then, and Suryavanshi already has a century in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not just a usual century, but the second fastest in the history of IPL.
That’s right, the left-handed opener smoked 101 off 38 deliveries and helped Rajasthan Royals (RR) chase down a target of 210 with more than four overs to spare against Gujarat Titans (GT). In the process, he also became the youngest centurion in the history of T20 cricket (where data is available).
"Those four days I was very nervous. When I saw him at the nets, I wanted him to play. Even the selectors and Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) officials wanted to blood him. I was worried. What if he got hurt? How would he deal with the pressure? He scored 19 in the first innings against Mumbai, and I nonchalantly said in the dressing room, 'Bihar ko pehla cricketing superstar mil gaya (Bihar has got its first cricketing superstar)," Ashutosh told the Times of India.
"Gazab khela (Exceptional knock). When I saw Vaibhav hitting those sixes yesterday, I got emotional. He will be for Bihar what MS Dhoni is for Jharkhand. Vaibhav has put Bihar on the cricketing landscape. People now know about Samastipur. One thing that is in Bihari DNA is that we don't fear because we have got nothing to lose. He started his IPL career by hitting a six off Shardul Thakur and then completed his century with a six off Rashid Khan," added Ashutosh, who has 171 wickets in 34 first-class games at a stunning average of 15.23.
Rakesh Tiwary, the Bihar Cricket Association president, was also in the crowd when Suryavanshi was smashing GT bowlers all around the park. "The crowd was chanting 'Vaibhav! Vaibhav!', and it is still giving me goosebumps. It was an experience of a lifetime for sure. You will see more talented cricketers coming out of Bihar now. There is no dearth of talent," said Tiwari.