Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s rise has been meteoric. The 14-year-old started with a firecracker knock of 34. But that was the start of it all. Just two matches later, he became the youngest T20 centurion of all time. His maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) is over, and the teenager has the highest strike rate of any batter with more than 1 inning to their name.
Although he scored a record-breaking hundred, his best innings came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where he scored 57 runs from 33 balls. In the six prior innings, Suryavanshi looked more like a slogger. But against CSK, he looked like a proper batter. He didn’t try to take every bowler down and didn’t look to hit every ball for six.
I will play for India at any cost!
He showed maturity beyond his age. His childhood coach, Ashok Kumar, never doubted his protégé’s talent or technique. But his mental toughness stood out. He says Suryavanshi has become even more confident about playing for the India cricket team.
“There were no such questions about his technique, but the way he’s evolved mentally has been amazing to witness. From the conversations I had with him during the IPL, he has become mentally stronger than before. The way he talks now, he has become stronger than ever before. His determination has increased as he now says constantly, ‘Sir, mei India khel ke hi rahunga’. So, we feel very proud that such a kid has come from Bihar,” Ashok Kumar told IANS.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi to make India debut in 2 years?
Playing at Rajasthan Royals (RR) under Rahul Dravid’s guidance is what Suryavanshi needs. Having developed players for India A and at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Dravid might be the best coach to be playing under. Ashok predicts that Suryavanshi will play for India in 2 years, basically by 2027.
“That attitude of making the team win single-handedly since childhood was seen during his 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans too. With Rahul Dravid sir and Vikram Rathour sir there, it has enhanced his batting. The practice he did with the white ball, he started getting better at it in three months. He has learnt to read the situations well,” Ashok said.
“So, all these things show the bright future this kid has. My prediction is, if Vaibhav improves his fitness and his fielding, then in the next 2 years, he will be in the senior T20 Indian team. I really think the BCCI will give him a chance, as barring two to four players, the rest of them in the T20I team are majorly 25 or below years old,” he added.
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