Short read: Bringing up Vaibhav Suryavanshi – from net practice behind Samastipur home to IPL arclights

A month ago, a team from Marcellus visited the interiors of Bihar and was astonished to find not only a road network superior to that of Maharashtra (supposedly, one of India’s more developed states) but also high-quality sports facilities. Then a week ago we saw the 14-year Bihari prodigy astonish the world with a 35-ball century in the IPL. This piece in the Indian Express helps us join the dots – it helps us understand how roads, financial upliftment and sports infra go hand in hand when it comes to nurturing tomorrow’s sportstars. Himanshu Harsh writes for the Indian Express:

“For four years, before the sun made it to the horizon of Tajpur, a small village in Bihar’s Samastipur district, Sanjeev Suryavanshi would set off on a 90-kilometre journey to Patna with his 9-year-old son Vaibhav and a bunch of other boys – a ritual every alternate day.

“Vaibhav’s father, my brother, took him to a cricket academy in Patna three to four times a week by road, along with other local bowlers so he could practise,” said Rajeev Suryavanshi. “My sister-in-law, Aarti, woke up early to cook and pack meals for them.”

On Monday, 14-year-old Vaibhav smashed a 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans – the fastest by an Indian in IPL history…”

Just so that the big city folks who are reading this piece understand how important good roads, without good highways the 90km journey from Samastipur to Patna would have taken 3-4 hours one way i.e. going up and down to Patna every alternate day would not have been feasible i.e. we would not have never seen Vaibhav Suryavanshi light up the IPL.

Himanshu Harsh now writes about Vaibhav’s father’s aborted cricket career: “Rajeev says his brother was keen to realise his own sporting dreams through his son. “My brother was a fine player, a promising cricketer in the 1980s and 1990s, but there were no facilities, infrastructure, support or opportunities in Bihar back then… He couldn’t break through,” Rajeev said. “When he saw talent in Vaibhav, he channelled his unfulfilled dream into his son.””

The unusual rise of modern India continues. In case you haven’t read our book on this subject, you might want to do so. Here’s the link.

The mention of the book authored by Saurabh Mukherjea and Nandita Rajhansa, who are part of Marcellus Investment Managers Private Limited, is for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in the book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. The inclusion of the book’s name does not imply endorsement or recommendation by us.