In the Men’s U-19 One Day Challenger Trophy match of 2023, Vaibhav Suryavanshi found himself in a really awkward position while representing India B. He scored 34 runs in 49 balls before getting run out, which really sucked. Disappointed after the run-out incident, he went back to the dressing room and cried as he felt he had a golden chance to score a bigger total-a real bummer.
Vaibhav was only twelve then and not much known for that name, but evidently, he beforehand had begun making waves. It is just that he just had a magical touch, even against older players at that time in many tournaments. Clearly very talented, that much went unnoticed. Batting legend VVS Laxman saw him in tears and understood the situation and consoled him for a while. He reminded Vaibhav that “runs are not everything. It’s about finding players who can go on and last in the game”.
Vaibhav’s coach, Manoj Ojha, shared the moment with Sportstar, illustrating how Laxman bolstered the young boy’s spirit after he wept in the dressing room. Laxman reckoned Vaibhav had the makings of a promising cricketer; what could be more encouraging than recognition from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)?
Later, Laxman went one step ahead and recommended Vaibhav to Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals. This endorsement resulted in him being bankrolled by a whooping Rs 1.1 crores during the IPL mega auction last year. Naturally, questions arose regarding whether the boy would actually get the chance to play in the high-octane IPL-a tournament that had some of the best T20 players from one corner of the earth to another.
As luck would have it, when RR’s captain Sanju Samson got injured, it paved the way for Vaibhav. He was all set to take the top spot in the batting lineup. And boy, did he make the most of that opportunity! In fact, in his very first match against the Lucknow Super Giants, he faced India allrounder Shardul Thakur and hit a six off the very first ball he faced-making a statement right away. He ended up registering a score of 34 before being dismissed, quite a feat for someone of his age.
His next match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, further confirmed that Vaibhav wasn’t a fluke; clubbing two sixes of the bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar would lay blessed all doubts if his talent was just a one-time thing.
The third match was, however, when things changed dramatically. Vaibhav made the history books by scoring a ton against the Gujarat Titans as he became the youngest player ever to score a century in the IPL and in T20 cricket overall. Yes, among the speediest rises in cricket, everyone was guessing what he would do next, and he certainly is not a fluke-he is a talent to keep an eye on in the future!
