Means a lot: Suryavanshi was seemingly in tears after his impressive IPL debut.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Tears rolled down Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s eyes as he walked towards the dugout after being stumped by Rishabh Pant.
The 14-year-old batter, who became the youngest player to make an Indian Premier League debut, could not come to terms with such a dismissal.
As he slowly trudged back, nodding his head in disappointment, a packed Sawai Mansingh Stadium chanted his name to acknowledge his efforts on Saturday.
After all, not many would have anticipated a teenager smacking Shardul Thakur for a six to start his IPL campaign. Not once did the Rajasthan Royals batter look under pressure, en route to his 20-ball-34 against Lucknow Super Giants.
Hailing from Samastipur, a city about 100 kilometres from Patna, he made his First Class debut against Mumbai in January last year. He went on to score a 58-ball century for India in a youth Test against Australia in September, and was also a key member of the India Under-19 Asia Cup squad.
His consistent performances at the junior level caught the attention of the IPL scouts. While he appeared for trials, it was RR which ultimately picked him for ₹1.10 crore at the mega auction in November.
Thereafter, the youngster has had long training camps with the franchise in its academy in Nagpur, and ever since bringing him on board, RR ensured that Suryavanshi remained away from the spotlight, as that could have been a distraction for him.
After seven games in the season, his chance finally came after Sanju Samson missed out due to an injury. “He is a great kid with a really good head on his shoulders. I think he has got a game which is almost 360 degrees. He is courageous and he is brave and you obviously saw that,” Royals spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said.
Published – April 20, 2025 06:47 pm IST