Vaibhav Suryavanshi has only participated in three IPL games. However, he has already amazed everyone at every turn with his six-hitting prowess, bat speed, and capacity to destroy bowlers of international stature. He became the youngest men’s T20 centurion on Monday after defeating a Gujarat Titans bowling team that included bowlers with at least one international cap, including Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, and R Sai Kishore. At 35 balls, it was also the second-fastest hundred in IPL history.
Who is this remarkable 14-year-old?
Suryavanshi comes from Tajpur, a hamlet in Bihar’s Samastipur district. Due to the lack of amenities in Samastipur, Suryavanshi and his father, Sanjiv Suryavanshi, drove about 90 kilometres to Patna nearly every day. Even though it wasn’t easy, he was determined to succeed with his father’s support.
The official IPL website included a video of Suryavanshi saying, “I am what I am because of my parents,” following his 38-ball 101 in Jaipur. “My mother used to get up at two in the morning, sleep for three hours, and then make me breakfast. My older brother took over my father’s job when he quit. Despite our modest resources, my father supported my success. My parents are solely responsible for my accomplishment, regardless of the outcomes you observe today.”
The ascent of Suryavanshi has been rapid. During the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy season, he made his first-class debut for Bihar at the age of 12 years and 284 days. Prior to then, he had made a strong impact for Bihar at the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, earning him a ticket in the Under-19 Quadrangular series at Mulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, in late 2023. This series also included Bangladesh, England, and two Indian teams, A and B.
Suryavanshi scored 53 against England U-19 in the opening match while playing for India B U-19. He then scored 75 against Bangladesh U-19s. Wasim Jaffer, the head coach of Bangladesh U-19 at the time and a former India opener, saw him during this second game and was “taken aback” by the young player.
Rahul Dravid on Vaibhav Suryavanshi
“He’s been very welcome,” Rahul Dravid, the head coach, stated on Wednesday’s Star Sports Press Room. Making him feel comfortable in this setting is one of the things we’ve attempted to accomplish. We held three to four short-term camps each month prior to the event, even after the auction. At each of those camps, Vaibhav spent time getting to know the players and support personnel.
The concept was straightforward: make him feel welcome before he became the centre of attention. “We were conscious of the fact that we wanted him to feel comfortable by the time he came to the IPL,” stated Dravid. “With the exception of the international players he was meeting for the first time, we wanted him to know every single player. However, he had met all of the Indian coaches, players, support personnel, and administrative staff. “Shy” as he was, Dravid thought Suryavanshi had not displayed any signs of being overwhelmed.
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