Vaibhav Suryavanshi a marked man like Sachin Tendulkar; has 2.5 years to chase Master Blaster as India cap not far away
An India cap may not be in the immediate future, but Vaibhav Suryavanshi can threaten Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record for India.
As the players lined up for the customary shake of hands at the end of the exchanges at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday night, Vaibhav Suryavanshi bowed low, attempting to touch Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s feet instead of proffering his hand. It was a sign of immense respect from a 14-year-old to a legend more than three times his age. It also showed that the little man has his heart in the right place.
Suryavanshi, the baby-faced assassin, has been the rage of IPL 2025, a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for Rajasthan Royals, who signed off with just four wins from 14 games. The left-handed Suryavanshi played in seven of those matches, amassing 252 runs at the remarkable strike-rate of 206.55. Thrown in was a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans in only his third IPL outing, comfortably the fastest century in the history of the tournament by an Indian.
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Having burst forth as a smasher with a penchant for sixes, Suryavanshi showcased growing maturity – hello, he is 14, and we are talking ‘growing maturity’! – as the Royals mounted a successful run-chase for the first time this year, on their ninth attempt. When Yashasvi Jaiswal was going berserk against Chennai Super Kings, Suryavanshi was becalmed, composed, not chomping at the bit. When his senior opening partner was dismissed, the teenager took over, with stunning strokeplay steeped in orthodoxy and the offside the preferred scoring zone. Peachy cover drives against the turn flummoxed the experienced Ravindra Jadeja even as Dhoni, behind the stumps, watched expressionless but clearly impressed by the masterclass from the lad from Bihar.
Suryavanshi has already played Under-19 ‘Tests’ and will travel next month to England when the India Under-19 team plays five 50-over games and three four-day matches against its English counterpart. It will be another learning experience for the boy wonder, who will be exposed to conditions he hasn’t encountered previously. To be able to rake in such learnings so early in his life is a massive plus which, combined with the guidance of Royals head coach Rahul Dravid and Centre of Excellence boss VVS Laxman, will only allow Suryavanshi to develop as a person, a cricketer and a batter on a rapid basis.
What does all this mean? That a senior international cap isn’t far away, especially given the rapidity with which Twenty20 Internationals are being played and the massive demand for the Indian team, which hasn’t lost any of its aura despite the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?
Hold your horses, one is tempted to say. This kid, and that’s what he is, is 14 years and 55 days old (as on Wednesday). Big bad world of international cricket? And that too representing India, where aggressive top-order batters are falling off trees when you just look at them, let alone shake them gently? An immediate debut is far-fetched, sure, but don’t be surprised if, after the next T20 World Cup at home early next year, he figures prominently in the mix if he continues to build on the mesmeric start to his representative career.
Can Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, break Sachin Tendulkar's all-time India record?
The youngest male international player is Marian Gherasim, who was 14 years and 16 days old when he took the field for Romania in a T20I against Bulgaria in October 2020. India’s youngest men’s international is a certain Sachin Tendulkar, 16 years and 205 days young on his Test debut in Karachi in November 1989. Suryavanshi has two years and five months, give or take, to duck under the genius from Mumbai.
Premature as it might be to make tall pronouncements, Suryavanshi could become the youngest Indian male to don the national colours if – and this is the big challenge, isn’t it? – he keeps his focus, sticks to his convictions, continues to rake in lessons and steadfastly avoids the temptation of getting carried away with all the focus and adulation. No pressure at all on a 14-year-old, right?
If and when Suryavanshi does break into the country vs country big league, it won’t be because of the novelty factor he possesses. As has been clear in the last month or so, no bowler will sympathetically dole out freebies just because he is so young. There will be no concessions, no let-up in intensity, no dimming of the fire when bowlers line up against him. In so many ways, Suryavanshi is a marked man much earlier in his cricketing life than even Tendulkar was. And that is a heavy cross to bear, as history will testify.
An India debut will not be high on the 14-year-old’s mind right now. His immediate aim will be to dominate and decimate slightly older lads in England in a few weeks’ time. After that? Who knows?
