‘What MS Dhoni did for Jharkhand, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is doing it for Bihar’ | Cricket Information

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi celebrates after scoring a century through the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Picture/Surjeet Yadav)

On a chilly January night time in 2024, Aushtosh Aman noticed Vaibhav Suryavanshi shadow practising in a resort gallery in Patna. Ashutosh, who was the captain of Bihar, enquired, “Chotu, khana khaya re (Have you ever eaten?).” A surprised 12-year-old fumbled and replied, “Man nahi kar raha bhaiaya (I do not really feel like consuming).” Ashutosh instructed him to put on a jacket and cap and took him out for dinner. On the dinner desk, a confused Vaibhav requested, “Bhaiya, kuch samajh nahi aa raha, mutton aur chawal order kar dijiye (Brother, I’m not in a position to perceive the menu, simply order mutton and rice for me).”
The following day, Vaibhav made his Ranji Trophy debut towards Mumbai. On Day 2, when Vaibhav was padding as much as open, he was struggling to lace his sneakers. Ashutosh once more got here to his rescue and requested, “Laces baandhne nahi aate? (Do not you understand how to lace your sneakers?).” Vaibhav simply nodded.
“These 4 days I used to be very nervous. After I noticed him on the nets, I wished him to play. Even the selectors and Bihar Cricket Affiliation (BCA) officers wished to blood him. I used to be frightened. What if he acquired damage? How would he take care of the stress? He scored 19 within the first innings towards Mumbai, and I nonchalantly mentioned within the dressing room, ‘Bihar ko pehla cricketing famous person mil gaya (Bihar has acquired its first cricketing famous person),” remembers Aman.

Ashutosh was proper about his prophecy. On Monday, Suryavanshi smashed the quickest ton by an Indian within the IPL, and made Rahul Dravid neglect that he was on a wheelchair. Your entire Sawai Mansingh Stadium chanted the title of the 14-year-old.
“Gazab khela (Distinctive knock),” was Ashutosh’s crisp reply on the knock.
The Dhoni of Bihar
In 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar, a Bhojpuri music titled “Ab Alag bhail Jharkhand, khau shakarkand (Now Jharkhand is separate, eat candy potato),” grew to become an immediate hit in salons, in buses, and even at weddings. The music was a taunt that with Jharkhand taking all of the mineral assets and industries, Bihar was solely left with candy potato.

A wave of migration started as tens of millions left the state for higher alternatives. Even Ashutosh, like the numerous who went trying to find higher training and jobs, left Bihar final 12 months for a training gig with Providers. Cricketing infrastructure was, and nonetheless is, a large number however the sight of Vaibhav hitting these towering sixes on Monday night time made Ashutosh, a left-arm spinner, very emotional.
“There was no cricket in Bihar, and people who had tried their hand at cricket had been left unemployed. Let’s not even speak in regards to the infrastructure,” says Aman.
Who’s that IPL participant?
“After I noticed Vaibhav hitting these sixes yesterday, I acquired emotional. He will probably be for Bihar what MS Dhoni is for Jharkhand. Vaibhav has put Bihar on the cricketing panorama. Individuals now find out about Samastipur. One factor that’s in Bihari DNA is that we do not worry as a result of we now have acquired nothing to lose. He began his IPL profession by hitting a six off Shardul Thakur after which accomplished his century with a six off Rashid Khan,” mentioned Aman, who has performed 34 first-class matches.

The record of cricketers from Bihar shifting commerce elsewhere would not finish there. Ishan Kishan went to Ranchi from Patna as a result of his father is a businessman. Pacer Mukesh Kumar moved to Kolkata in 2012 to assist his father’s taxi enterprise, which was struggling losses. He used to play cricket in Kolkata’s maidan for Rs 400-500 earlier than he was noticed by Ranadeb Bose, former Bengal pacer and bowling coach.
One other Indian pacer, Akash Deep, had an identical story. He went to Kolkata to grow to be a truck driver and ended up taking part in cricket. He has now opened a cricket academy in Sasaram. “The only purpose for constructing that academy was in order that no child ought to face the hurdles I needed to endure after I was younger. They do not have to go away Bihar to go to different states to get good amenities. I’ll present them with world-class infrastructure,” he instructed TimesofIndia.com earlier than the beginning of the IPL.
Extra Vaibhavs within the pipeline
The BCA president, Rakesh Tiwary, who noticed the knock from the stands on Monday, could not imagine what he had witnessed.
“The gang was chanting ‘Vaibhav! Vaibhav!’, and it’s nonetheless giving me goosebumps. It was an expertise of a lifetime for positive,” mentioned Tiwari.
Tiwari is assured that extra Vaibhavs will come via from the state.
“You will notice extra proficient cricketers popping out of Bihar now. There isn’t a dearth of expertise.”
“We’re engaged on the infrastructure. The BCA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state authorities, which grants BCA a 30-year lease on the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, which units the stage for the redevelopment of the stadium, poised to remodel it right into a state-of-the-art, international-standard sporting advanced. There may be one other stadium that we’re constructing in Rajgir. There are extra smaller facilities throughout the state which are within the pipeline,” he mentioned.