Vaibhav Suryavanshi just made his IPL debut, and it was pretty impressive. Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he hit a six on his very first ball against Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur. At just 14 years old, he’s now the youngest player ever in IPL and really took on players much older than him. He scored a cool 34 runs off 20 balls, smacking two fours and two sixes.
While everyone in the cricket community was buzzing about his bold performance, his childhood coach, Manish Jha, wasn’t surprised. “Vaibhav has a natural instinct for the game,” Jha told News 18 CricketNext. “He’s aggressive and loves to take charge against bowlers. He doesn’t feel pressure and stays true to his game. Most kids might get nervous facing older players, but Vaibhav actually thrives under pressure. You could see it in his domestic games, and now everyone’s seen it in the IPL too.”
Jha shared that Vaibhav has always been dedicated. In our academy, kids usually face about 40-50 balls a day. But Vaibhav was facing 400-500, he said. “He picks up new techniques quickly and incorporates them into his play, which sets him apart. He scores runs everywhere, whether it’s local matches or tournaments. If we expected him to score 50, he’d end up with 100. He’s really surprised us.
Jha has watched Vaibhav grow a lot in the last two years, and he felt sure about him getting an IPL contract. At the two-day auction in Jeddah, Vaibhav was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore. “He’s way ahead of his peers,” Jha said. “If you’d asked me last April if he’d reach this point so fast, I wouldn’t have been sure. But after seeing his progress in various tournaments, including U-19 and Ranji Trophy games, we all felt he’d get picked. He’s a player to watch and is way ahead of his age group.”
