NEW DELHI: In a video posted by the Rajasthan Royals on their social media accounts, Vaibhav Suryavanshiis seen clarifying to Punjab Kings’ Musheer Khan that he wasn’t crying after getting out. He clarified: “When did I cry? Let me explain. My eyes were hurting a lot. When I got out, I looked at the big screen and the light hit my eyes.So I had to rub my eyes.”Since then, the 14-year-old prodigy has smoked a 35-ball century and a 15-ball 40. But on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, he showed a different side to his batting. Vaibhav has caught the eye with his shot-making and six-hitting prowess, but against CSK, he showed maturity beyond his age. He put on a 98-run second-wicket partnership with Sanju Samson that kind of sealed the deal for the Royals.
Poll
Should young players be given more opportunities in IPL?
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour hailed Suryavanshi’s 33-ball 57 in their six-wicket win over CSK.“Very impressive,” Rathour told reporters here.“Again, we’ve been working with him for quite some time now, maybe three to four months. So, we’ve seen all these aspects, but it’s great to see him doing that in a game, in pressure situations, in a big game like even today. The ball was doing a bit when he went in, he hardly got any balls, and didn’t get on strike too much in the power play.“But again, the kind of maturity he showed, the kind of temperament he showed, was really good for him. And these kinds of experiences will definitely make him a better player in the coming time,” said Rathour.Suryavanshi lost opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal relatively early, having faced only three balls until Jaiswal got out in 3.4 overs. He scored only 12 from his first 10 balls. But Suryavanshi took charge after Jaiswal fell, swinging his 11th ball for six off Noor Ahmed and driving the next two deliveries for four through the covers. He hit two massive sixes over long-on in one over off Ravindra Jadeja and reached his fifty in 27 balls by heaving Noor over square leg for his fourth six. The left-hander was dismissed after 33 deliveries when he played a wild swipe to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and was caught at backward point.This time around, he did look dejected and trudged back visibly upset with himself.
New Delhi: RR’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi leaves the field after losing his wicket during the IPL 2025 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
Suryavanshi made headlines last October when, aged 13, he scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia U-19s in Chennai.Rathour, who was also part of the Team India setup as batting coach, said he was “sold” when he first saw Suryavanshi bat in the nets.“There’s a team on the back end who watch all the leagues, all kinds of cricket. And they recommended him. He scored that 100 against Australia U-19, I think. So, the recommendation was made. And honestly, when I saw him for the first time, I was sold.“Just with the downswing of his bat, I think he’s very, very unique. I haven’t seen something like that for a long, long time. And then he’s now showing that he’s got temperament as well. So, I think he’s going to be a very, very special player,” said Rathour with a beaming smile on his face.Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for Rs 1.1 crore, became the youngest player to feature in the IPL earlier in April and made an immediate impact by hitting his first ball for six on his debut, which he had predicted in front of a teammate in another video circulating on social media.“We saw him for the first time. He’s been batting in the nets, and we saw what he could do. But then, again, to do it in a game situation is something altogether different. But doing it once is, again, something different. But then, scoring runs the last game, and even today’s knock was, I think, even better because he showed a different side of his temperament or his batting,” said Rathour.
At the start of the tournament, Suryavanshi was in contention to play. He got the chance only because Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson got injured.Royals skipper Sanju Samson, too, has lavished praise on Suryavanshi and was in awe of his maturity after his knock against CSK.“I don’t have words for him,” Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson said at the post-match presentation.“He can hit over the leg side, he can wait and hit slower balls over covers for six. That tells you what kind of talent and temperament he has. Today when the middle overs were going on, he smartly picked his options,” Samson said.“Today when the middle overs were going on, he smartly picked his options. It shows he is smart as well. That is a stunning combination with the potential, talent, and game awareness. There is something special for Indian cricket.”In his first IPL edition, the boy from Samastipur, Bihar, has shown that age doesn’t matter much, because what’s beyond doubt is that he is very young, gifted, and has the world at his feet. In seven outings, he scored 252 runs with a strike rate of 206.56.He has shown a teaser to the whole world, and he is only 14. And Royals coach Rahul Dravid has said that the teenager is still an unfinished article, which certainly is not a good sign for the bowlers in the future.
Get IPL 2025 match schedules, squads, points table, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
