Suryavanshi — the baby-faced basher striking fear in bowlers
All it took was one shot to make a mark.
When Vaibhav Suryavanshi launched Shardul Thakur for a maximum off his very first ball in the Indian Premier League, Shane Watson, stationed in the commentary box, could not help but admire the first impression of the one-of-a-kind talent.
“My word! What the hell was that?” was Watson’s initial reaction after the 14-year-old deposited the ball into the stand behind the cover region. It was one of many times that jaws dropped, mesmerised by the pocket dynamite’s batting pyrotechnics.
Given the rate at which Suryavanshi is delivering one stunning performance after another to make the cricket world go in awe, it should not come as a surprise if oral and maxillofacial surgeons offer thanks to him in the future. It is ‘business’ for him and them.
On Friday, the thrill-a-minute opener carried on with that business as usual, producing a blistering 175 off just 80 balls to steer India to its sixth under-19 World Cup prize. As the southpaw continued to rise with crunching hits in the final, the English shoulders dropped, its players clueless about what had struck them. It was nothing but the Suryavanshi storm!
The highly-talented teenager led the assault in Harare despite a rare slow start, treating the ‘big boys’ from England with disdain and unleashing shots from the top drawer. The knock was so well-crafted that it made England captain Thomas Rew admit that he and his teammates could not stop scratching their heads.
“It is always going to be tough when a player like him gets going. We did our research; we wanted to use our change-ups and stick to the top of the stumps. But Vaibhav came off today (Friday), fair play to him. When Vaibhav got going, we struggled to know where to bowl,” said Rew after his team finished second-best.
Rew was not alone in being astonished on the day. India’s title-winning captain Ayush Mhatre, who enjoyed the best view whenever Suryavanshi went berserk, fell short of words while describing the left-hander’s influence on the team.
“We just asked him to keep at it. We have no words for him… for the player he is or the innings he played. We know that he is a fabulous batter, and he showed in this match what he can do,” Mhatre said of Suryavanshi.
Too good for his age
Suryavanshi’s insatiable appetite to rack up runs at a lightning pace has led to him being too good for his age. He deservedly scripted history as he became the first player to bag both the Player-of-the-Final and Player-of-the-Tournament awards in an u-19 World Cup. The cherry on top of the cake was his no-brainer selection to the team of the tournament, which also included two other Indians in Kanishk Chouhan and Henil Patel.
“I cannot express how I am feeling. We have been working together for the last eight-nine months. The preparation for the World Cup began much before the Asia Cup. That (plans) helped us get to where we are now. I have enough confidence in the skillset I have developed, and I know that I can perform under pressure in big games,” said Suryavanshi besides dedicating the title triumph to the coaching staff.
Suryavanshi is so young that he will technically be eligible to feature in the next two iterations of the age-group global competition. But the cricket world may have seen the last of him at this level since the BCCI prevents players from appearing in more than one edition.
While some may consider him unlucky for his premature exit from the tournament, bowlers from across the globe would undoubtedly be thanking their stars. Apart from striking fear in the minds of the opposing players, the left-hander possesses the rare quality of making something happen even when there is nothing on offer.
Which is why Michael Hussey feels that Suryavanshi is Adam Gilchrist-esque, high praise considering that the Bihar boy was not even born when the former Australia wicketkeeper-batter ruled international cricket. “There are some of these players who come along… when they are out there in the middle, you do not want to miss a ball,” Chennai Super Kings batting coach Hussey said during the 2025 IPL.
“When Gilchrist would walk out to bat, the whole team would come to the viewing area to watch the game. It was so exciting. I felt the same after watching this kid bat; breathtaking batting was on display when he and Yashasvi Jaiswal were together. It was fearless batting, and it was so exciting to watch,” Hussey said a day after Suryavanshi became the youngest century-maker in the IPL, at 14 years and 32 days.
Making it count
The teen titan has made it a point to gobble up big opportunities which come his way. Suryavanshi announced himself on the biggest stage when he shattered records at will on his Youth Test debut against Australia u-19 in September-October 2024.
Just as scribes present at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai began preparing drafts of India’s bowling show on the opening day, the southpaw indirectly told them: “Hang on.” Despite batting for only one session, the then 13-year-old raced to an unbeaten 80-plus first-innings score by the time the curtains were drawn.
Formalities were there to be completed at the start of the second day, and he did it in style to register the second-fastest ton in u-19 Test cricket history (off 58 balls – behind English batter Moeen Ali’s feat which was achieved off 56 balls). In the process, he also became the youngest player to reach the three-figure mark.
Suryavanshi’s big break came after Rajasthan Royals, under the guidance of Rahul Dravid, took a huge leap of faith and acquired him for Rs 1.1 crore at the IPL 2025 auction.
There were doubts whether he would be up to speed in a demanding league like the IPL, but he put a full-stop to those with his actions on the field. Luck played its part as Suryavanshi was drafted into the playing XII after Sanju Samson was rendered unavailable for some matches because of an injury. The opening batter did not need much time to make people stand up and take notice of him; he smacked the second-fastest IPL century (off 35 balls – behind Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of 30 balls) against an experienced Gujarat Titans bowling pack.
He instantly became a vital cog in the RR wheel so much so that Samson, returning after a break, dropped to No. 3 to accommodate Suryavanshi at the top. His high-intent game earned him a place in the India-A squad, for which he dazzled in the Asia Cup Rising Stars. His absence at a crucial juncture was deeply felt; Indian fans vented their anger after Suryavanshi was overlooked for the ‘Super Over’ in the semifinal loss to Bangladesh-A.
In domestic cricket, which is naturally a step down from the international game, the youngster has made a mockery of bowling attacks in the Plate division. But with Bihar securing promotion to the elite class, he is set to tackle more rounded units.
Areas to work on
If one nitpicks flaws in Suryavanshi’s evolving play, his game awareness in tough situations and the pressure that he puts on himself to score big are mentioned. He should understand that at times when the opposition has momentum on its side, it is not necessary to take a coat of paint off the ball every delivery he faces.
For instance, in the u-19 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, the 14-year-old continued to go on the offensive even after India lost two quick wickets in a big chase. That move led to his downfall, and India eventually suffered a chastening loss.
But to his credit, he is learning. “A lot of things were running on my mind. But I spoke with VVS Laxman sir (head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence). He asked me not to go after a century; he asked me to follow my processes and back my strengths, and he said that a century would follow,” an elated Suryavanshi said after enjoying a dream u-19 World Cup.
What next?
There are growing calls for Suryavanshi to be integrated into the senior set-up, with former selection committee chairman K. Srikkanth saying that age should not be a factor.
“If Sachin Tendulkar can make his international debut at 16, why not Suryavanshi at 14? If I am the chairman now, I would fast-track him to the senior team. I am a huge fan of him… just look at how seamlessly he is attacking international-quality bowlers,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’ during the last IPL season.
Since there is no scarcity of batting riches in India, Suryavanshi will have to deal with plenty of competitors; for context, a quality operator like Jaiswal is struggling to get a look-in after the emergence of fellow southpaw Abhishek Sharma. But given Suryavanshi’s rapid rise, one would not put it past him to quickly break into the senior side.
The young boy with big dreams could be an awesome force of nature in the making.
