"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's bat swing has been outstanding. What's even more remarkable is how beautifully he clears his front foot to create room for balls aimed at his legs. This freedom allows him to play the way he does. That innings was nothing short of spectacular!" This was what the great Sachin Tendulkar posted on X minutes after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's epic 29-ball 97 in the IPL Eliminator. And if we look around us, it is not hard to see why he wrote what he did.
Indian cricket badly needs a new star. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now done, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are nearing the end. Jasprit Bumrah is in and out, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are also blowing hot and cold, and Rishabh Pant is struggling. While Shubman Gill is holding fort in red-ball cricket, Indian white-ball cricket is in search of its next star. With an innings laden with 12 sixes, Vaibhav could well be on his way to becoming India's next big brand.
As he was hitting his sixes against some of the best in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin and I were on WhatsApp, and Ashwin used the word "unreal" for Vaibhav. He is right. Just watching what was going on gave me a sense of the unreal. Here was a 15-year-old taking on the might of the world's best bowlers and doing the job in almost every second game. The consistency is what stands out, and he has surpassed Chris Gayle's IPL six-hitting record in almost half the number of balls.
Last year, I was worried about his temperament after a game against Pakistan. Clearly, he has worked on it and, if the U-19 World Cup final is anything to go by, he is ready for the big stage. The IPL is the world's most-watched tournament and almost everyone was targeting him. He is not a one-season wonder anymore, and I would not be wrong in saying Vaibhav saved the IPL this particular season.
With the war and everything else happening around it, the mood was negative. The numbers, at least on television, were down and the IPL needed something special. Vaibhav provided it and, in doing so, has pushed the bar towards becoming Indian cricket's poster boy.
Having said that, it is time to acknowledge that Vaibhav is an aberration. He has extraordinary talent and is now honing the talent to be the next superstar. To see him and hope that every child will soon be him or it is essential that they emulate him will be a hugely wrong call.
I say this for just yesterday I got two messages which were instructive. One was from a physical education teacher who wrote to me having seen my video on Vaibhav Suryavanshi where I had argued that while we applaud him, we should not push the same envelope for our children. The teacher in question asked me a simple question- Vaibhav has said he used to wake up at 2am and his parents, mother in his case, did the same with him. Shouldn't we wake up our kids at 330am and start training them? Isn't that the best time?
The answer to this is I have no answer.
The second question is equally pertinent and this is from a fellow parent who happens to be an acquaintance. Vaibhav batted for 600 balls a day. We should show this statistic to our children for they will feel the urge to do more.
Really? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not the norm. He is an aberration. The fact that his mother woke him up at 2am and did all that she did shouldn't prompt most mothers to do the same. We can't be a herd. Each kid to his own and most children, and I repeat most, will need at least 7-8 hours of sleep. To deprive them and wake them up at 2am or 3:30am as I was asked is plain madness. That's why we urge for caution. And balance. Celebrate Vaibhav, don't try and emulate him.
And let me also say this. Vaibhav too will fail. Sooner than later. While all seems great for him at the moment, failure will indeed be round the corner and it will test him. We have seen the same happen to the best. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar after his first Test innings in Pakistan started to doubt himself and ask if he belonged at the highest level. Vaibhav will be no different. So let him pursue the path that he is while your son or daughter should pursue their own calling.
As far as this IPL is concerned, he is now the X-factor. Not just in terms of impact, but also by the volume of runs scored and the manner in which he has scored them, Vaibhav has turned a new leaf. While there will be a lot of brands at his door at the end of the IPL, all he needs to do is stay sane and remain grounded. Riches will follow and Indian cricket will benefit.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, a hugely talented batter in his own right, looked ordinary in front of Vaibhav's brilliance, and that is the kind of impact he had on the Eliminator. Clearly, he is ready for the international stage and the quicker we fast-track him, the better it will be for the sport and for India. Vaibhav is surely Indian cricket's next supernova.
The only suggestion I have for Vaibhav is stay rooted and the world is your oyster. You are blessed and you work hard- there is nothing more you need to do but stay humble and dedicated.
(Boria Majumdar is consulting sports editor with NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
