Exclusive: 'Until he plays Tests, he isn’t a big 'cricketer'—Sooryavanshi’s father

NEW DELHI: The meme “Bihar is not for beginners” remains a fashionable inclination connected societal media. Be it the stolen bridges, Bihar elections, Bihar’s politicians oregon adjacent the dialect. For example, aft Vaibhav Sooryavanshi helped India triumph the U-19 World Cup, helium called his father, Sanjeev Sooryavanshi, and started with “Papa parnaam.

” Not “pranam,” but “parnaam,” the mode it’s said successful Bihar, with a stretched vowel.The begetter and son’s speech did not past long. “When Vaibhav called, I couldn't clasp my tears back,” Sanjeev tells TimesofIndia.com from Samastipur, with a lump successful his throat.

“He was jumping successful joyousness with different boys. I told him that I would speech to him aboriginal due to the fact that it’s a memorable moment. After this, helium won't get to play successful the under-19s. He should bask the moment,” helium adds.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!On Friday, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smoked 15 sixes and 15 fours astatine a onslaught complaint of 218.75 during a brutal and breathtaking sound successful the U-19 World Cup last against England astatine the Harare Sports Club successful Zimbabwe. He scored 24 disconnected his archetypal 24 balls, meaning his past 151 runs came disconnected conscionable 56 deliveries. His sound proved to beryllium the quality arsenic India defeated England by 100 runs and won the rubric for a grounds sixth time.

“Abhi toh shuruaat hai, abhi bahut aage jaana hai (This is conscionable the beginning, there's a batch much to achieve).

Jab tak Test na khele, kya bada cricketer (Till the clip helium does not play Tests, I won't see him a large cricketer),” says Sanjeev, who has acceptable lofty goals for his son.In Patna, Vaibhav’s manager Manish Ojha’s telephone is buzzing with congratulatory messages and immoderate unusual requests: “Sir, mera beta bash saal ka hai, usko cricketer Vaibhav bana dijiye (My lad is 2 years old, marque him similar Vaibhav).”“Absolute madness ho rakha hai. The benignant of messages I americium getting. Vaibhav has brought a sporting gyration successful Bihar. Now radical volition fto their kids play sport,” says Ojha, quoting a section proverb which became a opus successful MS Dhoni’s biopic: “Padhoge likhoge banoge nawaab, kheloge kudoge banoge kharaab (If you study, you’ll go a nobleman; if you lone play, you’ll beryllium ruined).”

The trendsetter

Vaibhav’s emergence is surely thing that Bihar needed. In cricket, Vaibhav has go a trendsetter, arsenic Ojha says, “He is not a subordinate who believes successful taking singles oregon doubles. His content system, his instinct, tells him lone 1 thing: spell for the kill. He believes successful implicit domination.”Not to forget, Vaibhav comes from a authorities which has ever acceptable trends. What the English boys tasted successful Harare connected Friday, the British Empire’s roots were shaken successful 1917 erstwhile Mahatma Gandhi started the Champaran Satyagraha against the Tinkathia system.

Fast guardant to 1974, socialist Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known arsenic JP, gave the telephone for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution), which changed the sermon of India.

Cut to the present, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with his blistering batting, is mounting a caller trend.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's stats successful U-19 World Cup final:🔴Sooryavanshi’s innings took his tourney tally to 439 runs successful 7 innings astatine an mean of 62.71, 2nd lone to Mayes (444 runs astatine 74).🔴It was the highest people successful an Under-19 World Cup final, surpassing Unmukt Chand’s unbeaten 111 for India against Australia successful the 2012 final.🔴The sound is the ninth-highest people successful the past of younker ODIs. South Africa’s Jorich van Schalkwyk (215 vs Zimbabwe) remains the lone subordinate to people a treble century.🔴Overall, it ranks arsenic the sixth-highest idiosyncratic people successful Under-19 World Cup history.🔴Sooryavanshi smashed a grounds 15 sixes successful a younker ODI innings, breaking his ain erstwhile grounds of 14 against the UAE astatine past year’s Under-19 Asia Cup.🔴His 15 sixes are the astir successful a azygous Under-19 World Cup innings, with lone 2 different players managing double-digit sixes.🔴The period came disconnected 55 balls, the second-fastest 100 successful Under-19 World Cups, down Will Malajczuk’s 51-ball period for Australia against Japan earlier successful the tournament.

The dilatory start

Before the semifinals and the final, Vaibhav’s scores were 72 (67), 40 (23), 52 (23), 30 (22). He was getting starts but was not capable to person them into a large score.

“Cricket is simply a large leveller. Saamne wala bhi toh soch samajh ke bowling karne aata hai. Wo bhi utni hullo mehnat kar ke aata hai jitni Vaibhav karta hai (The absorption bowlers besides travel with a plan. They besides enactment conscionable arsenic hard and enactment successful arsenic overmuch effort arsenic Vaibhav does),” says Vaibhav’s father.In the semi-final, his 33-ball 68 helped India pursuit down Afghanistan’s 311 runs successful 41.1 overs.After this knock, the 14-year-old gained immoderate assurance and, for the archetypal time, helium called his begetter during the tournament.“He does not speech to maine until helium makes a large score. After doing good successful the semi-final, helium spoke to me,” shares Sanjeev.

“He said, ‘Papa, I americium getting the commencement but I americium not capable to person it. Har jagah shatak lagaye, is tourney mein abhi tak nahi aaya (I person scored centuries everywhere, but it has not travel present yet),’” Sanjeev recollects the conversation.“I consoled him. Although I was besides getting a spot impatient, I told him that his aboriginal blitz was helping the squad triumph games. Play similar this and permission the remainder to God. He was blessed and relaxed that Papa was not angry. He called maine again aft fractional an hour. It doesn’t hap that helium calls maine twice. I again told him to play according to his nature,” helium adds.And lad did Vaibhav play according to his nature. Ask Thomas Rew’s boys, who looked hapless connected the ground.“Look, I can’t accidental the tourney wasn’t going well. You could accidental determination weren’t galore large scores,” says Vaibhav’s coach.

“Vaibhav has acceptable specified a precocious benchmark for himself that adjacent scores of 50 oregon 60 don’t consciousness important anymore. If you look closely, the 72 helium made against Bangladesh was a match-winning knock. Against Afghanistan successful the semi-final, helium scored 68 successful the archetypal 10 overs and acceptable the code for India portion chasing 300 plus.“What was missing was that 1 large performance. But that comes with the benignant of subordinate Vaibhav is. On the time helium gets going, determination is nary stopping him. Failures and not converting starts are portion of the package. Because erstwhile helium finds his bushed and is successful afloat flow, everything becomes casual for him and for the team,” helium adds.

What adjacent for Vaibhav?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi burst onto the country successful April past twelvemonth by hitting a six disconnected his archetypal shot successful the IPL.

He soon became the youngest centurion successful men’s T20s, scoring a 35-ball 100 for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, the second-fastest IPL period aft Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton successful 2013.In July 2025, helium recorded the fastest younker ODI period astatine the time, reaching 3 figures successful 52 balls portion scoring 143 disconnected 78 against England astatine Worcester. Four months later, helium smashed a 32-ball period for India A against the UAE successful the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20, yet making 144 disconnected 42 balls.Sanjeev has conscionable 1 portion of proposal for his son, whom galore are predicting could go India’s youngest planetary cricketer aft the ongoing T20 World Cup.

“I person ever told him, jitna achha khelo utna hullo jhuk ke raho (The amended you play, the much humble you should be). Keep talking to your seniors and coaches, inquire them wherever you tin improve. Yes, you person scored a large period successful the U-19 World Cup final, but that is done.

The extremity is to play Test cricket for India.“I gave him Sachin Tendulkar’s reference. He scored truthful galore runs, and determination was ne'er immoderate contention astir him. The cricketing satellite adores him,” says Sanjeev.

Coach Manish wants his ward to predominate the Ranji Trophy now.“Bihar is successful the Elite this year. The BCCI has acceptable a programme for him arsenic well. But his existent trial volition beryllium with the reddish ball. I americium definite helium volition annihilate bowlers determination arsenic well,” said Manish with a laugh.