His big brother gave up cricket for him, 23-yr-old from Jammu repays faith with Rs 2.6-cr IPL deal
HE WAS once a promising batsman, but sacrificed his career to take over the family business after his father Himanshu Sharma died of kidney failure in 2015. Vikrant Sharma’s decision allowed his younger brother Vivrant to pursue his cricketing dream.
On Friday, that family decision paid off when Vivrant, the 23-year-old J&K leg-spinning all-rounder, was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 2.60 crore — 13-fold his base price — at the IPL mini-auction in Kochi.
And yet, Vivrant’s day of joy was tinged with regret. “If my father had been alive, he would have been very happy. But still, my journey has just begun. Papa’s demise hit us. My brother took over the business (acid and chemicals) and told me to focus on cricket. He had played at the inter-university level. He was my idol and I...