EXCLUSIVE | Vivrant Sharma Realises His & His Brother’s Dream as SRH Add More from J&K Stable

There was no dearth of drama at the IPL 2023 auctions and as the big ticket players hogged the limelight with teams breaking the bank for the likes of Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green; the auction also saw a few ‘crorepatis’ in the making with teams splurging money on the rather unknown entities in the Indian domestic cricket.

And one such player was Jammu and Kashmir’s Vivrant Sharma, who from a base price of just Rs 20 lakh ended up with a contract of Rs 2.6 crore –that’s 10 times more than his base price! And is the story for most players in India, this joyous moment for Vivrant, and the Sharmas was a reward of sacrifice and the hardships the family had to go through.

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Being picked up in the IPL wasn’t just Vivrant’s dream coming true, but also his brother’s, Vikrant, who had given up on his cricket to focus on the family business after their father’s demise in 2020.

While Vikrant took care of the family business, he made sure that Vivrant continues to follow his passion. It was in February 2021 when the dream of these two brothers went one step ahead as Vivrant made his List A debut for J&K.

Cut to December 2022, the big moment arrived and the left-handed player was roped in by SRH. Earlier, this month Vivrant had also made his FC debut, but the left-handed batter had left an impact with his white-ball heroics.

In this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022, Vivrant played a crucial role in J &K’s run till the quarter-final finishing as the second-highest run-getter for his team with 395 runs in eight matches at an average of 56.42 and a strike rate of 56.40. He After starting the campaign with two back-to-back fifties as an opener, Vivrant went on to demolish Uttarakhand with an inning of unbeaten 154 that came off 124 balls. Moreover, he picked up five wickets with his leg breaks as well.

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In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022, even though J&K had a forgettable campaign, Vivrant impressed with a tally of 128 runs in five matches, striking at 145.45 and returned as the highest wicket-taker for his team with six scalps at an average of 5.33.

In an exclusive chat with CricketNext, Vivrant talked about getting picked by SRH, his journey and his role model Yuvraj Singh.

Excerpts

Congratulations on getting picked. How are you feeling?

I’m very, very happy after getting picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2023 auction. It’s a great feeling. We (all the teammates) were sitting in front of the TV set when my name popped up and I was eventually picked up by SRH. Can’t express that feeling.

Tell us about your journey and how did it all start?

My brother (Vikrant) used to play cricket. He played for his university. I developed an interest in the game from there. Later, I started training and practicing in Jammu and it all started from there on. I have been very lucky in terms of getting support. My coaches, family and seniors, everyone has supported me a lot in my journey. In fact, I made my debut under Parvez (Rasool) bhai. Everyone has been very helpful and supportive, especially my brother who ensured that I focus on my game.

Did you get a chance of interacting with Irfan Pathan?

I had attended the Ranji Trophy camp when he got associated with the Jammu and Kashmir side. I got a lot of appreciation from him and he said that I had a lot of potential. I spent a very good time with him and got some valuable input from him.

You will be joining your J&K teammates, Umran Malik and Abdul Samad in SRH. How does it feel?

We (Me, Umran and Abdul Samad) share a very good bond. In fact, we started playing together. So, it feels good that I will be joining him and Abdul in the side. I’m pretty excited.

What is your take on IPL being a platform for youngsters?

See, the IPL is a big stage for the young lads and the players who do well at the domestic level do get the reward. Personally, my only aim was to get picked and now, I just want to capitalise on the opportunities that I get.

You have been a Yuvraj Singh fan. Have you ever got a chance to speak with him?

I haven’t had a chance of meeting him personally but from the very beginning, I have been following him and have learnt a lot just by watching him. Though, I got a chance of watching him play during one of the domestic matches.

What was the talk like with Brian Lara when you met him?

I was the net bowler with Hyderabad last time. It was then that I got the chance to have a chat with him. He too shared some valuable insights about the game during the conversation. Overall, it was a good experience.

Lastly, how are you planning to use this amount?

Well, I wasn’t really thinking about money. I just wanted to get picked and that happened. So, haven’t really planned that but yeah as I said I’m really happy that I got picked.

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