The prodigy has an enduring allure, more so if he is yet to sprout whiskers, and his voice has a pre-adolescent twang. This is a trait often linked to subcontinental cricket, especially in India and Pakistan.
An Imran Khan would stroll the streets in Pakistan and pick lads hurling a tape-ball at tremendous pace. And in India, there are these two forever projects linked to finding the next Kapil Dev and the next Sachin Tendulkar.
Subject of curiosity
In all these quests, the subject of curiosity is a young boy, yet to feel the splash of an aftershave on his chin. “Chotte”, or little one, might sound like body-shaming in these politically correct times, but it is also a term of endearment from the senior professional to the pre-pubescent youngster breaking into the big world of cricket.
Be it India or Pakistan, the search for the next big “chotte”, a striking oxymoron, is always on. Seen in this context, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14 years old, and on the cusp of turning 15, has ticked all the boxes.
Age entirely on his side, a cherubic face, stunning talent, and hell, he has already played First Class cricket for Bihar, Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures for Rajasthan Royals, and is a vital cog within the India Under-19 outfit. The numbers he has stacked up are staggering.
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At a mere 14, he hammered 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur during last year’s IPL. For those with a recency bias, there is the 175 he plundered against England in the Under-19 World Cup final at Harare on February 6.
He has done all this while still not being eligible for a driving licence or a voter ID, and obviously he will be barred at bars! At an age when boys are dealing with acne, exam-fever and the perplexity of adolescence, Suryavanshi is making headlines — and, unsurprisingly, the ‘next Sachin’ references have popped up.
The next big ‘chotte’: Just 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has dropped jaws. There are whispers about blooding him in international cricket, but he must be allowed time to organically flourish.
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The southpaw’s talent is for all to see and, already, whispers about blooding him into the senior Indian squad have begun. Still it is better to wait a bit for the boy to become a man, maybe sport a wisp of a moustache, gain some years and some certainty in his emotional arc.
The lines above may sound like the statutory warning in share market ventures, but some caution is essential while selectors allow him to organically flourish. It must be remembered that for even Tendulkar, there was a counter in Vinod Kambli. The latter made that oft-quoted comment about his buddy taking the elevator while he took the stairs, but when he did catch up with the former, he dazzled, albeit, all too briefly.
Tendulkar turned up first for India at 16 in a Test, and Kambli did that at 19 in an ODI. Briefly, the schoolmates found their tracks running parallel, and then the dynamic southpaw, who once toyed with the great Shane Warne at Sharjah, ran out of steam.
Form waned, a chink against short-pitched bowling undid his forays at the batting crease, and, more importantly, Kambli the person unravelled. His international career was over when he was just 28, ideally the prime stage in a batter’s life. Refusing to read the tea leaves, Kambli often moistened his throat with a potent liquid and soaked his soul within the stifling embrace of self-pity.
Cautionary tale: Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar’s careers ran in parallel for a while, but the former was not able to stay the course.
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The Hindu Archives
Flattering to deceive
A talent withered while Tendulkar watched aghast and, in his own way, tried to help. Readers of a certain vintage may still remember the effervescence that Kambli lent to a soft drink advertisement, which featured his other India mates too. Still, he remains a case of promising much and then flattering to deceive.
It need not be all gloom and doom, and yes, Suryavanshi needs to be celebrated in the immediacy of his runs and the hope he offers. To swing on the side of positivity, there is the Virat Kohli story. Again a star at the Under-19 level, Kohli’s transition to the India shade and to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours was not easy.
Speaking to him at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, it was obvious that he was self-aware for someone still under 20. Yet during a candid interaction with select media personnel at a fancy hotel in the same city, he once opened up about how he presumed it would all come easy to him, indulged himself a bit, and then understood cricket at the international and even club level is tougher than his Under-19 skirmishes.
This was a man who held a mirror to himself and turned his career around. Suryavanshi has ideal role models in Tendulkar and Kohli. So too in other earlier Under-19 stars like Yuvraj Singh. But it is a minuscule club, as the graduation from teens to adulthood is never easy for most in real life. It is even tougher for young athletes torn between academics and sport, blinding limelight and honest sweat.
Throw in fame and excess money in the bank, and heads can sway, and the 5 a.m. alarm call can be ignored. The morning run is discarded, visits to the gym turn sporadic, and shots are played from a rusting muscle-memory. Just like Kambli, there are whispers about Prithvi Shaw now. Most would remember Unmukt Chand, Under-19 star primed to turn out for India. He also featured in a soft drink commercial with established stars. He even wrote a book, ‘The Sky is the Limit’. But he didn’t fly high.
Just as India celebrates its teenage prodigies, it also quickly tires of them once they fall by the wayside. Presciently, Tendulkar told the trophy-winning India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre: “Don’t lose focus and get distracted.” The legend was gently nudging the lad to chase his dreams of eventually playing for the India senior team.
Rough start: Even Virat Kohli, an Under-19 superstar, experienced early difficulties when he donned the Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours.
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K. Bhagya Prakash
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From the Under-19 level, cricketers still have to turn up for their local clubs, play for their State age-groups and try and break into the Ranji squad. At times patience wears thin and it is presumed that there is a magic bridge between Under-19 and the India colours, with the IPL lending a hand.
The cricketing fraternity will quickly pounce on attitude shifts, notes will be exchanged, and suddenly, the rising star becomes a wilting flower. Soon, it becomes a rage against the dying flame, and as more competitive talent emerges, the return to top-flight cricket becomes tough.
Support system essential
A support system is essential, at times the NCA, now the BCCI CoE, does that through its coaches and counselling sessions. A young and temperamental Harbhajan Singh almost contemplated shifting to Canada and driving trucks but he had a supportive captain in Sourav Ganguly, and he flourished.
Still, it all boils down to the youngster having the drive to persist and prosper. Suryavanshi has a long road ahead, and it is up to him to pave it with ballast and stride with confidence.
