New Delhi: On Monday evening, when Vaibhav Suryavanshi was hitting sixes with such ease at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, 1177 km away in Bihar’s Samastipur district, the Suryavanshi household was surrounded by well-wishers. Vaibhav’s friend celebrated by setting off firecrackers in the streets outside.
“Diwali 6 mahine jaldi aa gayi (Diwali came six months early),” an emotional Sanjeev Suryavanshi tells TimesofIndia.com.
Vaibhav, 14, became the youngest centurion in men’s Twenty20 cricket as he guided Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans in an IPL match in Jaipur. Like Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw, and Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav too is fulfilling his father’s unfulfilled cricketing aspirations.
Sanjeev was also a cricket enthusiast, much like Lakhwinder Gill, Naushad Khan, Pankaj Shaw, and Raj Kumar Sharma. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, when Shubman Gill scored a fearless 91 at the Gabba, Sanjeev had read in a newspaper about how Shubman Gill’s father used to train him on a cement pitch in Fazilka, Punjab.
Sanjeev built one in his backyard, and it was fitting that Vaibhav’s blistering knock came against Shubman Gill’s team.
“Vaibhav played an incredible knock in just 35 balls and helped Rajasthan Royals win the match. We are absolutely thrilled with his knock. There is a festive atmosphere in our house,” he adds.
Who’s that IPL player?
In his brief career, Vaibhav has been fortunate to work with VVS Laxman at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and Rahul Dravid at the Rajasthan Royals. It was Laxman who recommended Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s name to Rajasthan Royals’ head coach Rahul Dravid.
“Laxman sir has closely monitored his growth for the past two years. And now Rahul Dravid sir has taken him under his wing,” says Vaibhav’s coach Manish Ojha.
Suryavanshi grabbed headlines when he became the youngest player to earn a contract in the lucrative IPL at the age of 13 and father Sanjeev credits the Royals management for his son’s significant growth as a batter.
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What do you think about Vaibhav Suryavanshi becoming the youngest centurion in men’s Twenty20 cricket?
“Yes, he has worked hard, but credit must go to the Rajasthan Royals team management. For the past three to four months, Rahul Dravid, Vikram Rathour, and Zubin Bharucha have worked on his game, and now he is reaping the rewards,” he explains.
Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour has called Vaibhav a special talent and has showered praise on his technique.
“He’s a special, special talent. Technically, he has a great downswing, which helps him generate that kind of power. Today, he showed everyone exactly how good he is. Honestly, you could keep talking about that knock endlessly,” Rathour told reporters after the match.
“For a 14-year-old kid to play like that — that itself is special. We first saw him around four months ago during the trials, and from that moment, we knew we had found something extraordinary. It was up to us to nurture him and bring him to this level. Credit to him — he kept his nerves, showed great temperament, and played an extraordinary innings today,” Rathour added.
