In search of better facilities and exposure, 13-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi might switch states after being ignored by the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) selectors for their first two Ranji Trophy games against Haryana and Bengal.
Earlier this week, Vaibhav recorded his name in the history books as he became the youngest player to score an international century. Vaibhav scored 104 off 62 balls in India Under-19’s Youth Test against Australia in Chennai.
The left-hander is still in Chennai but has been told by the BCA to join the Bihar squad ahead of their second match against Bengal, to be played in Kalyani from October 18.
“The Youth Test match between India and Australia ended a day early and that’s why we didn’t pick him for the match in Lahli. It would have been a big hassle for him to travel all the way from Chennai to Rohtak. But he will join the team in Kolkata for the second match,” BCA president Rakesh Tiwary told The Indian Express.
When asked how the youngster could play in the second match when his name was not in the initial squad, the BCA president said, “we didn’t want to put unwanted pressure on the kid.”
The Indian Express understands that top clubs in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) first division league are interested in signing the left-handed teenager and the youngster is considering his options to make a move.
“Bihar is not ideal for good cricketers. No one cares. The BCCI has stopped caring about it as well. It is getting difficult with every passing day,” says Vaibhav’s coach Manoj Ojha.
“As a coach, I would want him to leave Bihar immediately to play for another state. I want top Ranji teams to give him an offer and he must take it. He should play for a state where he can be groomed, where he would be looked after. VVS Laxman rates him very highly and monitors his development.”
Vaibhav had made his first-class debut for Bihar a the age of 12 on the first day of India’s domestic red ball season in 2024. (Express photo)
Ojha said he had requested Vaibhav’s father Sanjeev Suryavanshi to move his son to Jharkhand three years ago.
“But his father can’t afford to switch base from Samastipur to Ranchi. If Vaibhav plays for Tamil Nadu, he will be nurtured and his performances will get noticed,” adds Ojha.
However, Vaibhav’s father Sanjeev Suryavanshi said they are only searching for the best infrastructure to groom his talent.
“We are looking for a good club, where he can get the top facilities to train,” he says. “The only aim is to watch him play for the senior India team. He has worked hard,” he says.
Messy affair
Two separate Bihar teams have been picked for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy. The 20-member squad picked by BCA president Tiwary has reached Rohtak to face Haryana, pipping the one with the blessings of secretary Amit Kumar.
This is not the first time a factional feud has resulted in separate teams representing the state in the premier domestic competition.
This January, The Indian Express had reported that two teams, each claiming to represent Bihar, had turned up for a Ranji game against Mumbai at Patna’s Moin-ul-Haq Stadium.
Tiwary blamed Aditya Verma, the original petitioner in the 2013 spot-fixing case, for the chaos in Bihar cricket.
“His only job is to tarnish Bihar’s image. He is creating a nuisance because his son (Lakhan Raja) was not picked,” alleged Tiwari.
Bihar are in Group C of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, alongside Bengal, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
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