Sanjeev’s son Vaibhav Suryavanshi went on to make his debut in first-class cricket at the tender age of 12, playing against Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna.
Sanjeev Suryavanshi, while struggling to make ends meet in Mumbai, was astonished to witness children aged six or seven playing cricket in the maidans of the city. Intrigued, he approached a coach at Oval Maidan and inquired about the ideal age to start playing the game. The coach’s succinct advice was, “Catch them young.”
Reflecting on his journey, Sanjeev shared, “I was passionate about cricket myself. However, in Bihar, sports had limited opportunities. Having moved to Mumbai at 19, I took on various jobs, including working as a nightclub bouncer in Colaba, at a Sulabh toilet, and at the port.
During my off days, I frequented the Oval Maidan, where I observed young kids, some as skilled as wearing pads and helmets. It was then that I made a firm decision that whether it’s a son or daughter, I would nurture them to become cricketers.”
“My life has completed a full circle. Back in Mumbai, I dreamt of this moment, and now, after all these years, my son made his debut against Mumbai,” he chuckles.
After spending 12 years in Mumbai, Sanjeev returned to his hometown, Samastipur in Bihar. While his eldest child showed no interest in cricket, the second, Vaibhav, took his first stance as a left-handed batsman when his father gifted him a bat on his fifth birthday. “The next morning, I started giving him throw-downs and immediately realized he was a natural.
I took him to a local cricket camp run by Sudhakar Roy (father of former India U-19 cricketer Anukul Roy), and after observing him closely for 15 minutes, Roy agreed and said, ‘Ye to prodigy hai,'” recalls Sanjeev.
In 2019, while inquiring about good cricket academies in Patna, he met coach Manish Ojha. Initially hesitant due to Vaibhav’s small stature and stumbling while running in pads and helmets, Ojha eventually agreed to provide personal coaching at Sanjeev’s insistence, despite the considerable distance from Samastipur to Patna.
For three days a week, Sanjeev brought his son to Patna, making Manish’s academy a second home for the father-son duo. “We used to catch an early morning bus at 5 am, and by 8 am, we would be at the academy. This was our routine for three days a week. It carried on for a year until Covid halted everything,” says Sanjeev. However, the lockdown didn’t deter Sanjeev, as he began training Vaibhav on a cement pitch at home, inspired by a similar arrangement used by Shubman Gill’s father in Fazilka, Punjab.
Coach Manish also faced challenges with Bihar cricket administrators to give Vaibhav a fair chance. “In the Hayman Trophy (Inter-district tournament), he scored 620, the most in the tournament. The selectors initially wanted him to play in the U-16 competition, but after much argument, they agreed to put him in the U-19 team,” says Manish.
“In the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Vaibhav scored 393 runs in five innings, including a century against Haryana. He was then picked for the U-19 Challenger Trophy held in Assam, where he caught the selectors’ attention and was selected for the U-19 Quadrangular series, with notable performances against Bangladesh and England.”
Sanjeev shares a proud moment when Wasim Jaffer praised Vaibhav’s batting after a strokeful 75 against Bangladesh in Vijayawada. “Wasim sir was with the Bangladesh U-19 team and was impressed with Vaibhav’s shot selection. Even VVS Laxman sir told me that he is ready, but they want to see his development in the next couple of years. Such compliments gave us extra motivation,” says Sanjeev.
One concern for Sanjeev was how his son would cope with traveling alone for away Ranji Trophy matches. “During the quadrangular series, when I returned home from Samastipur, I received a call from Manish sir that Vaibhav was crying on the phone. I had to go back. He has always had me since the day he picked up the bat, but my biggest fear is how he will deal with this situation. I am trying to prepare him for it. Let’s see how it unfolds,” the father says.
