Blaze of Glory: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Young Indian Cricket Stars and the High Price of Early Fame

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not the first player to make an impact as a teenager. May not be the last either. There are names from the past who rekindle your pleasant memories. Rajdeep Kalsi from Jalandhar was a precocious talent but lost his way. Dhruv Pandove, a left-hander from Patiala, was an exceptional cricketer. He made his first-class debut at 13, but death snatched him away at 18.

Indian media is full of tales of stars who made an early impact but left us craving more. Ten years ago, Pranav Dhanawade, a 15-year-old Mumbai school cricketer, stunned us with an innings of 1009 not out in an inter-school contest. The media went gaga. It, however, soon realised this was nothing but misplaced hype. The media also got it wrong when a batsman cracked a triple century in a local T20 match in East Delhi.

It is not comforting to be a celebrity sportsman in India. The status comes with a price, preceded by a lot of struggle and hardship on the field, and what follows takes away the joy of living a normal life. The issues confronting these young stars are multiple. From media scrutiny to the high expectations that follow their entry into the big world of cricket, these factors affect their growth as cricketers.

We have the examples of Prithvi Shaw and Vinod Kambli, who went astray after their early stardom. The glitz and glamour associated with the film world have entered cricket, thanks to the mind-boggling fortunes generated by the Indian Premier League (IPL). The mega bucks from IPL earnings transform the lives of today’s cricketers in the span of a season, with palatial accommodation and a fleet of luxury cars creating a world of hard-earned comfort for the players.

The pressure of playing for the country or a franchise snatches away your freedom, much more for a youngster like Sooryavanshi, who can’t take a hassle-free walk in the park anymore. In these times of intrusive social media, one feels for the youngsters who are subjected to such intense scrutiny. Often, the players retire to the safety and comfort of their hotel rooms after a hard day’s play. They prefer breakfast and dinner in their rooms to avoid uncomfortable stares from demanding and often unruly public/fans.

They have to be kept away from prying eyes at airports and restaurants. It was common for cricketers to go to the cinema halls in disguise. “I would enter the cinema hall only after the movie had started and leave a couple of minutes before the climax, always sitting in the last row and next to the exit,” Virender Sehwag told me once. Today, the players have their mini theatres at home.

On tours, I have come across players confined to their rooms because venturing out means being mobbed and pushed around. Not all of them like to be hero-worshipped. The fans can be generous when you excel and equally brutal when you fail. For a Sooryavanshi, living a normal citizen’s life would seem far-fetched. I once travelled with Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad in a train from Gwalior to Delhi. None gave them a second look because they didn’t expect these two cricket stalwarts, both wearing oversized hats, to occupy seats in an air-conditioned compartment. They were lucky to get away. World T20 Cup hero Shivam Dube made news for travelling overnight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in a third AC train compartment hours after the final.

Dealing with Fame

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ignored the mentoring of young cricketers for all these years, especially the financial aspect, leaving players distant from their own families and friends. Batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar and bowling great Kapil Dev were among the first to advise the BCCI on managing young players who needed guidance to secure a tension-free future. Driven by their managers’ desire to reap the best, the players find themselves drawn to an often make-believe world that leaves them feeling isolated.

The inner circle of the players is transformed from friends and families to demanding managers and socialites. “Can’t discuss cricket with them because they prefer to be surrounded by people who have nothing to do with the game,” a former player told me about the frustration the coaches experience when dealing with their pupils. Fame and money can be essential to their growth, but only if they leave them unscathed by this society’s harmful elements. The stars want to be normal people, enjoy a vacation in Ooty or Landour, and crave a ride on a train or just to hop on a bus.

Some recent incidents have forced administrators to step in and take firm action regarding players’ behaviour. The recent vaping episode in the dressing room involving the talented Riyan Parag and Hardik Pandya’s conduct in public have left a sour taste and prompted measures from the BCCI that do not really eulogise national players.

Handling finances is important for youngsters who are influenced by sudden wealth that comes their way via the IPL. There are lessons to be learned from achievers like Tendulkar, Kapil, Dravid, Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh. They managed their finances with sensible investments and did not allow their inner circle to be infiltrated by ‘friends’ from the IPL circle.

In my many conversations with veteran cricket administrator Ratnakar Shetty, he emphasised the need to educate the players on the ways of life. “Fame and wealth come with a lot of responsibilities. In these times of over-exposure, the young players need to be guided on how to deal with various aspects of the game, not just playing it,” he says.

In the past, administrators have involved veterans like Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Dravid to counsel youngsters on managing their finances and, more importantly, dealing with fans and the media. It is for the BCCI to protect the likes of Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma from the razzmatazz of a society that they are not accustomed to interacting with.

Cricketers are looked up to as sporting ambassadors. Sooryavanshi can follow the examples of Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid, who never invited any controversy with their behaviour. Sooryavanshi will soon discover the challenges of being a celebrity cricketer. The media scrutiny can be exasperating at times, but the BCCI can address this aspect of his growing up as a role model.

Too much attention can harm a youngster, and this is an area for the BCCI to handle. Virat Kohli is a great case study in this regard—handling his cricket and the fame that came with it. Like most stars from the earlier generation, Kohli learnt to respect the media and love his fans, especially the kids. Sooryavanshi is still a kid and needs guidance from past greats, apart from his doting parents.

It is not easy to be a successful cricketer in India. Ask Kohli and M.S. Dhoni. They are always expected to oblige strangers with a selfie/photo/autograph. Soon, Sooryavanshi, given his awesome talent and the promise he holds as the brightest young star in world cricket, would find himself in that category, comfortable only within the confines of the dressing room or his home. His friends and family, not to forget the BCCI, have a duty to perform—to save this sensational talent from evil eyes. He is too precious.

(Views expressed are personal)

Vijay Lokapally a sports journalist with Sportstar and an author