‘Keep 10 crores’: A belief that changed everything
Preparations were going on for the IPL mega auction in Saudi Arabia in November 2024 and all the franchises were discussing their shortlists. Before the mega auction, Rajasthan team’s high performance director Zubeen Bharucha had told the team, ‘Keep aside Rs 10 crore.’ There was silence in the room. The question was – for whom? The name that Zubin Bharucha was recommending was neither a big international star nor a proven player in domestic cricket, but a 13-year-old boy from an unknown village in Bihar, where even proper cricket facilities were not available. The first reaction of the team management was natural – surprise and disbelief. He said almost jokingly – Are you crazy? At first the Rajasthan team management thought it was a joke, but when Bharucha narrated his trial experience, the story changed.
Trials were being conducted in Talegaon, Maharashtra
When Rajasthan Royals were conducting trials at their academy in Talegaon, Maharashtra, Vaibhav Suryavanshi came out to bat against a left-arm fast bowler (Karnataka). Zubin Bharucha was already trying to understand that one-on-one match in his mind, the angle of the ball, the late swing and the possible outcome. Bharucha said, ‘The first ball came fast inside for the right-handed batsman. So I was thinking that when Vaibhav comes on strike, the ball will move outside and beat him outside the off stump.
Six over first ball and extra cover.
However, exactly the opposite happened. Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit that ball for a straight six over extra cover. Zubin Bharucha recalls that moment, ‘I was just thinking, what did I just see? I couldn’t understand it.’ He further said, ‘It felt exactly like the first time I saw Yashasvi Jaiswal playing in the trials, when he hit a four over short fine leg on the very first ball at the DY Patil Stadium. Same thing happened with Sanju Samson, he did something different on the very first ball in Jaipur. Amit Singh bowled a bouncer and he sent it straight to the roof of the indoor stadium. Did something different on the very first ball.
What happened next will surprise you
If the first glimpse of Vaibhav Suryavanshi had created a thrill, what happened next was even more extraordinary. Zubin Bharucha says, ‘After the trials were over, I sent all the players. I didn’t want anyone else to feel uncomfortable, so I called Vaibhav back alone. We had some sidearm bowlers who could bowl at 157-158 km/hr. One of them was about six feet four inches tall, so you can understand his release point.