23-year-old all-rounder Vivrant Sharma wouldn’t have managed to impress in the domestic white-ball tournaments, and wouldn’t have bagged a stunning Rs 2.6 crore deal at the IPL 2023 auction had it not been for the sacrifices made by his elder brother Vikrant.
In 2020, when the brothers from Jammu and Kashmir lost their father, it was Vikrant who took over the family business to ensure Vivrant kept working towards realising his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. Vikrant himself was aspiring to be a fast bowler and played at the university level in the state. Thanks to the big call from the big brother, Vivrant found himself making his domestic debut for Jammu and Kashmir in February 2021. 18 months later, Vivrant became one of the most expensive uncapped players bought in the mini-auction in Kochi.
After watching the IPL 2022 auction on television from J&K’s team hotel in Ahmedabad, Vivrant was overjoyed. He was on the edge of his seat when SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders bid for him as the price went up from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2.6 crore.
Vivrant, speaking to news agency PTI, credited all his success to his brother. Right after he was sold at the auction, the all-rounder rang up his brother and mother to share the happy news. The family was, indeed, ecstatic.
