Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm - and how!
The 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals prodigy’s breathtaking 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans earlier this week etched his name into the annals of cricketing history.
With that knock, he became the youngest centurion in Indian Premier League history and also registered the fastest century by an Indian in the IPL.
Vaibhav’s batting brilliance has caught the imagination of the world. From the likes of Sachin Tendulkar to Yuvraj Singh, some of the greatest legends in world cricket acknowledged the knock and Vaibhav as ‘special’.
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Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid, who has carefully watched over Vaibhav’s progress over the years, also believes there’s something truly special about the teenager.
“For me, it is really the ability to have that level of fearlessness and not get fazed by the occasion. You don't get to see that with people that young. The range of shots he showed,” Dravid noted in a pre-match press conference before the Royals’ next IPL match against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.
Dravid, who has spent years mentoring some of India’s brightest talents as the U19 national coach and then as the senior team head coach, admitted that Vaibhav still has a long way to go but also acknowledged his huge potential.
“He is only going to get better. Nobody is saying that he is a finished article. No one should rush to call him somebody he is not,” Dravid cautioned, providing a measured perspective. “Teams will be smarter against him. T20 format is such where he will have games where it will not work out.”
Vaibhav’s knock against GT was punctuated with 11 sixes and seven fours - a spectacle of uncompromising power-hitting which saw Dravid stand up in the Royals dugout to applaud the teenager’s century despite having a fractured leg.
“What gives him power is a good bat speed, high backlift, and hand-eye coordination. His judgment of length is something that has amazed me - whether it is fractionally short or full, he can capitalise on that. His natural strength is helpful in this situation.”
Dravid also underplayed his role behind Vaibhav’s meteoric rise and said, “The biggest credit goes to him. It would be wrong of me to take credit for him. He has come through a system (having played first class and India U19). His father has been supportive. Here in Rajasthan Royals, so many people have been involved.”
Underlining his and the Royals’ responsibility to ensure Vaibhav reaches his potential, the Indian cricket legend also stated that it is important to make sure the teenager doesn’t lose his fearless approach to the game.
“We try to keep it simple with him. For us, it is important that he plays the kind of cricket he enjoys playing. It is pretty obvious he likes to play attacking brand of cricket. We picked him not keeping his age in mind, we were convinced of his talent."
Trent Boult vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Needless to say, there will be considerable attention on Vaibhav during Thursday’s match, particularly from the MI bowlers.
One man who is almost certain to clash with Vaibhav in the match is one Trent Boult, a former Royal and currently Mumbai’s specialist opening bowler.
The experienced pacer, during his pre-match interaction, revealed he was excited for the impending duel and also acknowledged Vaibhav’s fearless approach when it comes to batting.
“It’s going to be an exciting challenge to come up against a guy who’s obviously fearless and running in hot form at the moment, so that’s what it’s about. The whole world saw that performance the other night. (It was a) quality (knock) from such a young kid,” Boult said.
