The Child Prodigy

Vaibhav's entry to the IPL has been dramatic. He started his career with a six off the first ball he faced and went on to score a hundred in just his third appearance.

- TDG NETWORK

Born in Samastipur, a small district in India's Bihar, he quickly showed promise. Vaibhav's father, Sanjeev Suryavanshi, himself a club-level cricketer, saw a spark in his son. But there were no proper academies around the district, so he started his training at home from the age of five.

Sanjeev, who used to run a small shop, began to realise his son needed a proper coach. So when Vaibhav turned eight, his father decided to take him to Patna city, a three-hour journey away.

"Many people would tell him: 'What are you doing?' But he was the first person to believe in Vaibhav's abilities," said Robin Singh, a coach from Bihar. "To ensure his son trained well and got to use the best facilities, his father had to sell a plot of land. His mother had to make a lot of sacrifices too. She would wake up at three in the morning to prepare breakfast for him and would even send food for the coaches."