By Tom Decent
Within an hour of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi stunning the cricket world with a 35-ball century in the Indian Premier League, one of the sport’s all-time greats and a teenage prodigy from a different era, Sachin Tendulkar, gave his verdict.
“Vaibhav’s fearless approach, bat speed, picking the length early, and transferring the energy behind the ball was the recipe behind a fabulous innings,” Tendulkar wrote on X to his 40 million followers. “End result: 101 runs off 38 balls. Well played!!”
The praise did not end there. And it might not for the next few decades given what Vaibhav achieved as he helped the Rajasthan Royals (2-212) chase down the Gujarat Titans’ total of 4-209 with more than four overs to spare.
Within 38 balls and 101 breathtaking runs, Vaibhav’s life has changed forever, if it hadn’t already.
Former Australian great Adam Gilchrist believes the teen could transcend the sport.
“This innings should - and I think will - create global headlines across sport,” Gilchrist told Cricbuzz. “I would suspect in America or nations that don’t typically follow cricket, they will be flabbergasted that someone at that age has just dominated.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi hits a boundary during his record-breaking innings.Credit: AP
“It is extraordinary to think what we’ve just witnessed there. The power the young man has, the confidence to take on international world-class bowlers and not take a backward step ... it is hard to believe.”
Suryavanshi’s innings, which featured 94 runs in boundaries by the time he raised his bat with a towering six into the leg side, was even more impressive given he plundered the runs against world-class bowlers in Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma and Washington Sundar.
Chris Gayle’s 30-ball IPL hundred is the only innings that comes close to Suryavanshi’s knock.
Less than a year after smashing a 58-ball century against Australia’s under-19s side - as a 13-year-old - Suryavanshi was the subject of a bidding war in this year’s IPL.
His father was thrilled, given he sold the family’s farm to fund his son’s cricket dream.
Suryavanshi made scores of 34 and 16 in his first two IPL matches - he hit his first ball on debut for six - before his latest hundred that is arguably the greatest in the tournament’s history.
“I am feeling very good,” Suryavanshi said after the match. “Scoring my first hundred in the IPL, and that too in just my third innings, feels special. All the practice that I have put in over the last four to five months has finally paid off.
“It feels like a dream to score a century in the IPL. Like I said, I have worked hard in the last few months, and it has all come together beautifully.”
Suryavanshi is already being labelled the IPL’s ‘Boss Baby’, having been born in the same year India won the 2011 World Cup.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi celebrates his century.Credit: AP
However, questions have already been raised over the legitimacy of Suryavanshi’s age.
His birthday is listed as March 27, 2011, but has said once in an interview he would turn 14 on September 23, 2023. That would make him 15 years, 7 months, and 6 days old.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who featured in a 166-run opening partnership with Suryavanshi, said: “Incredible innings, one of the best I’ve seen. Hope he’ll keep doing it for us for a long time. He was incredible today.
“He just played amazing shots. He works hard in the nets, we can see that. He has the game, he has the temperament and mentality.”
Could the secret lie in Suryavanshi’s new diet?
According to an interview with Suryavanshi’s coach, Manish Ojha, giving up pizza and mutton might have helped his game.
“He is just fond of chicken and mutton,” Ojha told the Times of India. “He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn’t eat it any more.
“When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it. That’s why he looks a bit chubby.”
with AP