Vaibhav Suryavanshi hasn’t quite understood that the tempo of constructing a first-class innings is different from T20 cricket. Although the 14-year-old has found success with his destructive method of batting in Youth Tests, the Ranji Trophy is a different animal altogether.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi goes boom & then bust
Exactly two weeks ago, playing for India U19, Suryavanshi had scored 113 against Australia U19 in a Youth Test in Brisbane. That knock came from just 86 balls. But these were up-and-coming cricketers. Playing that brand of cricket against them versus against pros like the Arunachal Pradesh bowlers in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy Plate isn’t exactly similar.
At the Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna, Suryavanshi batted just 5 balls in the first innings. In the first four deliveries, he struck one six and two fours. On the fifth ball, Yab Niya cleaned him up.
This was always on the cards. It takes time to understand yourself as a batter. At 14, Suryavanshi’s too young to come to terms with his game. Having played just five matches in his first-class career, the youngster will need time to understand the dos and don’ts of red-ball cricket. This isn’t to say that he may not succeed by this method in the ongoing Ranji Trophy Plate, but failure is expected for someone of his age.
Unfortunately, the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) isn’t helping him. For some reason, they announced Suryavanshi as their vice-captain for the first two matches. By doing so, they are putting further pressure on him. This is the time he comes to terms with how to fail and succeed, but instead they are handing him a leadership role at just 14.
