Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history by becoming IPL’s youngest centurion, scoring a spectacular 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans on Monday. The young left-hander’s innings, which included 11 sixes and seven fours, helped secure an eight-wicket victory for his team against international bowlers.
Suryavanshi’s explosive innings came against established bowlers including Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, and Karim Janat.
Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour praised the teenager’s performance, highlighting his potential for Indian cricket.
“We have been watching it nets for last few months, we knew what he is capable of and what shots he can play but to do it in front of these kind of crowd and in a situation like this against a really good bowling attack, it was really special and lot of credit to him,” Rathour said at the post-match press conference.
“He is a special talent and he has got great downswing if go into technique and that helps him generate this kind of power and today he showed everybody how good he is.”
Rathour revealed that they discovered Suryavanshi during trials four months ago and recognized his exceptional talent immediately.
“For a 14-year-old kid to play like this definitely makes him special. We saw him first time four months back when he came for the trials and from that day onwards we knew we have found something special and it was on us to nurture him and bring him to this level.”
The batting coach emphasized Suryavanshi’s mental strength and potential for a long career in Indian cricket.
“Lot of credit to him that he kept his nerves. He has a solid head on his shoulders, he showed great temperament today. Even the couple of games earlier also he showed what he is capable of and today was an extra ordinary innings.”
“Exceptional knock, spectacular knock. The kind of power he generates, the kind of position he gets into, cleanly hits the ball. Everything is special about that kid and if he keeps going and keeps working hard, he is going to have a long, long career in Indian cricket.”
Rathour cautioned against comparing Suryavanshi to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who made his India debut at 16.
“It’s too early and it’s unfair on the kid to be compared to Sachin Tendulkar. He is a special kid and he is a special talent,” said the former India coach.
Regarding Rajasthan Royals’ playoff chances, Rathour expressed optimism about winning their remaining four games.
“Every season is important but it’s a long term vision as well. We picked a young team and looking at the way they played today, I think we have a special team. We still have four games to go and if we win all four still I am not sure whether we are in a position to qualify but 14 points can get you to the play-offs sometimes. So fingers crossed.”
Gujarat Titans batter Sai Sudharsan acknowledged Suryavanshi’s remarkable performance while reflecting on their team’s strategy.
“No credit taken away from Vaibhav the way he batted was tremendous and was fantastic to watch but at the same time we could have reacted well. The way they started the powerplay was brilliant but we could have better plans. When we finished we felt it was par or may be 10 runs above par. But the way they started and batted showed us we were wrong and we could have also maximised a bit more.”
