NEW DELHI: Vijay Nigam was working a private job and wasn’t earning much when his 8-year-old son, Vipraj Nigam, walked up to him one day and said, “Papa, main cricketer banna chahta hoon aur ek din India ke liye khelunga (I want to become a cricketer and one day, I want to represent India).” An emotional Vijay hugged his son tightly and made a silent promise to himself — he would do whatever it took to make his son’s dream come true. The father recognized his son’s talent and ability to dispatch bowlers with ease at a young age, and he was determined not to let that talent go to waste.
As they say, God helps those who help themselves. Soon after, fortune knocked on Vijay’s door — he landed a government job as an assistant teacher in a school.
It was a moment of joy for Vijay, both personally and for his family’s future, especially his son’s. But the happiness came at a cost. He was posted almost 150 kilometers away from his home in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.
Still, he didn’t waste time. Believing in his son’s talent, Vijay took Vipraj to coach Sarwar Nawab, who trains young cricketers at the 10th Battalion PAC Ground in Barabanki. While talking to the coach, Vijay said, “Sir, mujhe cricket ki jaankari nahi hai. Ye aaj se aapki amanat hai — ye aapka Arjun aur aap iske Dronacharya. (I don’t have any knowledge about cricket, he is all yours. He is your student and you are his teacher.”
While the father did his part, it was Vipraj’s mother and grandfather who became the real pillars of support. They travelled over 30 kilometers every day in shared autos and rickshaws — braving the scorching summer heat and bone-chilling winter fog — just to deliver tiffins to Vipraj at the academy.
Even today, Vijay sometimes sits back and reflects on those challenging days. He glances at the photo of his late father — Vipraj’s grandfather — and silently thanks him for everything he did to help shape his grandson’s journey.
“I was very happy with the government job I got, but I was posted almost 150 km away from my place. I was posted almost 150 km away. Basically, there is the Ghaghra river — once you cross that, you reach Gonda (in UP), and from there, you have to take a back route to reach another part of Barabanki. That’s where I was posted in a government school. It wasn’t possible for me to travel every day. So, I stayed connected with my family over the phone and coordinated everything,” Vijay told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“Main to bas ek baap ka farz nibha raha tha — sirf paise kama kar diye (I was just fulfilling the role of a father. I was basically just earning money). My wife has made a lot of sacrifices. She used to take Vipraj to the academy, sit there for hours, and then bring him back. She took care of his meals and everything.”
“My father — I mean, Vipraj’s grandfather — used to travel in the scorching summer and foggy winters in shared autos and rickshaws to deliver tiffins to Vipraj. He is no more, but Vipraj was very close to him. He often says, ‘Dada ji ka sapna poora karna hai’ (I want to fulfil grandfather’s dream),” Vijay said with a lump in his throat. “I wish his grandfather was alive today to see his grandson on television, playing alongside world-class players and taking big wickets. He would have been so proud. But it’s his blessings that are keeping Vipraj on the right track,” he said.
When Vijay introduced Vipraj to coach Nawab, the coach, as all coaches do, asked Vipraj to pad up and face some bowlers. He missed a few, but the ones he connected with soared away like rockets.
Nawab saw more than just talent in Vipraj — what stood out to him was the boy’s remarkable patience. He would calmly wait for the bowler to release the ball, watch it closely, and then time his shot to perfection, often sending it to the boundary.
Impressed, Nawab walked up to Vipraj’s father and said, “Aap jaiye, aaj se main isse sambhal lunga (You can go home, I will take care of him).”
“I am not saying this because he is now playing IPL, but he is one of those god-gifted cricketers. He never goes overboard, never gets excited. He will take a wicket and will automatically come back to the initial point where he started. He has a tendency for forgetting successes, moving on, and learning from his mistakes,” Nawab said.
“He didn’t look back then. Since we had seen his talent from the beginning, we got him to appear for UPCA trials the following year, and he got selected for the UPCA U-14 team. He moved to Under-16. But his impact in U-16 wasn’t great. Sometimes he would get dropped at the zonal level, and when he went up, he became overage,” he said.
AN ACCIDENTAL BOWLER
Vipraj played most of his junior cricket as a batter — either opening the innings or coming in at No. 3 or 4. Known for his aggressive, hard-hitting style, he built his early reputation with the bat. But interestingly, his journey in senior cricket and the IPL took off as a bowler.
Yes, he’s still very much a power-hitter, but it’s as an accidental spinner that he’s now making waves — outfoxing batters with his clever googlies and variations.
In IPL 2025, the 20-year-old has already bagged 7 wickets in 5 matches, and it’s not just the number but the names in his wicket tally that stand out — Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Devon Conway, Aiden Markram, and Shivam Dube.
The story behind his transformation into a bowler is just as fascinating.
During the U-19 trials for Uttar Pradesh in 2022, the nets were overflowing with aspiring batters. Vipraj was among them, patiently waiting for his turn.
Watching the long line of batters, Utkarsh Chandra, then U-19 selector for UP, needed bowlers to test them. Stepping outside the nets, he called out, “Kisi ko keeda hai bowling karne ka to batao?” (If anyone want to bowl, speak up!)
Vipraj raised his hand — and that spontaneous decision turned out to be a game-changer. The rest, as they say, is history.
“Not just me — we were all amazed when he bowled his first delivery. The keeper had to jump and grab the ball at chest height. There was massive turn. I thought it might be a fluke. I walked up to him and asked him to bowl another delivery. This time, there was even more turn. I asked him to complete the over, and he just stunned everyone there with his bowling.”
“I immediately called the Chairman, Praveen Gupta, and told him, ‘We’ve found the best among all the leg-break bowlers we’ve shortlisted.’ He went on to represent the UP U-19 team and then played in the Challengers Trophy. Initially, we played him as an all-rounder, but he gradually shifted his focus more towards bowling — and now, he’s right in front of you.”
“Interestingly, once he started focusing more on his bowling, his batting graph also improved. We saw that in the first match of the IPL. He’s a lot like Rashid Khan — quick arm action off the pitch, and that’s what makes him so lethal,” Utkarsh said.
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