When Vaibhav Suryavanshi started learning what cricket was all about, Ishant Sharma was already a well-established fast bowler on the international circuit.
At present, Ishant is at the twilight of his professional career. But for a 14-year-old, whose stint at the senior level was only about 14 games (five first-class, six List A and three T20s) before Monday’s IPL 2025 clash in Jaipur, bashing a bowler with such volumes of experience was no child’s play.
Given the overall experience and profiles of most of the players around him this IPL, the Rajasthan Royals’ Suryavanshi does come across as a kid among them, irrespective of his age. But when he connects his bat with the ball, he’s almost as good as any of the big-hitting stalwarts.
That’s what the left-handed opener’s 35-ball 100 against the Gujarat Titans, also his maiden IPL ton, proved on Monday.
Importantly, this Class VIII student of Dr Mukteshwar Sinha Modesty School at Tajpur (in Samastipur district of Bihar) has gone through the rigours of age-group cricket before drawing the Royals scouts’ attention.
“Vaibhav had been a consistent performer in the BCCI U-19 competitions. In the U-19 one-dayers, (U-19) Challenger Trophy and then for India B against touring (U-19) Bangladesh and England teams, he scored runs. All these were in the 2022-23 season,” recalled Suryavanshi’s coach Manish Ojha of the Gennex Cricket Academy in Patna.
“After that, he did well in the U-23 matches too before getting a Ranji Trophy break (in January 2024 against Mumbai in Patna). So, he had to climb every step. It wasn’t a straightaway leap,” Ojha, who knows Suryavanshi since he was eight, said.
Saurabh Kumar, another coach at the Gennex Academy, was instrumental in showing Suryavanshi’s video footage to the IPL scouts. “It was his century (off 58 balls) last year against Australia U-19 (in a four-day game) that made people take him seriously.
“Being a coach, I, too, did my part in showing the video-clippings of his innings to the IPL scouts,” Saurabh, who does commentary in the IPL, said from Mumbai.
At the Royals’ pre-season camps, Suryavanshi trained under the supervision of head coach Rahul Dravid, high-performance director Zubin Bharucha and batting coach Vikram Rathour, which helped define his role for the side.
Ojha’s advice hours before Suryavanshi’s blitzkrieg on Monday also played a significant role. “In his previous innings, he was trying to hit the ball too hard, which was affecting his timing and balance at the crease.
“His footwork was predictable, so I told him to be a bit patient and observe Yashasvi Jaiswal. I told him, ‘If Jaiswal is the aggressor, you can focus on strike rotation. Also, adjust your footwork accordingly, like Jaiswal does.’
“Besides, Vaibhav made good use of the crease, going a bit deeper, especially against the spinners,” Ojha said.
Post IPL, the high-performance camp at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru awaits Suryavanshi, while he may also be a part of the U-19 squad for the upcoming England tour.
“I told him this (Tuesday) morning, ‘Keep playing with this focus and intent, and one day you’ll surely be selected for India’s T20I team. Just have the mindset to fare even better,’” Ojha said.
