Tejaswi Yadav has taken guard on a different playing field. Once a budding cricketer with a repertoire of abilities, the 26-year-old son of mercurial politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar in Patna on Friday. Tejaswi, the youngest of nine brothers and sisters, in Patna’s famous Lalu-Rabri Devi family, was quite steadfast in seeking a career in cricket. He had the looks too. Long hair, a thick stubble and his Delhi Public School, Mathura Road background made him stand out among many kids of his age. He dropped out of school at Class 9. For four seasons, Tejaswi Prasad Yadav was on the Delhi Daredevils roster. He could spin the ball, bowl seam-up and bat lower down the order. But he never made the playing XI of the Delhi IPL franchise. His father, as witty as ever, said: “At least (my son) will have the opportunity to serve water to the players”.
Tejaswi was certainly the perfect team man. “Frustrated” that he never played an IPL match, the young all-rounder understood the value of team composition and the need for understanding in a squad. Tejaswi’s cricket experience should serve him in good stead in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s coalition cabinet. With a total experience of one first-class game, two List A matches and four T20s, Tejaswi’s cricket career never really took off. His top score was 19 and bowling figures of 1 for 10 hardly glorified his bowling caliber. His cricket career now on hold, can Tejaswi resurrect the fortunes of Bihar cricket?
The state’s cricket administration, divided by politics, has been left in the cold by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Bihar’s cricketers have not played a Ranji match in the last 14 years.