Vaibhav Suryavanshi has the world’s attention – quite literally. After the 14-year-old slammed a 35-ball ton for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans to become the youngest ever centurion in IPL, Suryavanshi has been praised by all. From cricket great Sachin Tendulkar to F1 star Oscar Piastri, everybody is in awe of Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Now, former England captain Nasser Hussain has joined the list of the teenager’s long list of admirers. He has even said that Suryavanshi’s know has even surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s emergence.
“It was absolutely unbelievable. Things like this do happen in India. You go back to watching the great Sachin Tendulkar emerging onto the scene, but this even surpasses that. It is unbelievable for a 14-year-old. That’s what everyone is saying… what was I doing when I was 14! I was in U15, trying to score some runs. And he’s scoring a hundred against some of the best bowlers in the world in 35 deliveries, looking as if that’s what he’s meant to be doing,” Hussain told Sky Sports Cricket.
“It’s also the story of Indian cricket. The strength is in their depth. Yet another young domestic player to get a hundred. It’s also about how the IPL is growing in parts of India, which historically haven’t produced great players. He’s from the state of Bihar, which hasn’t produced great international cricketers. He looks like he has a great future ahead of himself,” said Hussain further.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach and former Indian captain Rahul Dravid on Tuesday spoke on 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, saying that his “fearlessness” and ability to stay unaffected by the occasion or pressure around him make him special.
Suryavanshi, aged just 14 years and 32 days, registered his name in cricket history books as the youngest centurion in T20 cricket and the fastest Indian centurion in IPL history during the clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday, making a mockery of a 210-run chase along with his batting partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Speaking on Star Sports Press Room to the media, Dravid said about Suryavanshi, “For me, it is really his fearlessness and the way he does not get fazed by the occasion or the pressure around him, that’s something truly special. You do not usually see that in someone so young. He also has a remarkable range of shots.”
Dravid highlighted that the youngster will need to keep working hard on his game and keep improving, as teams will get smarter against him and he will face ups and downs in his career.
“From our side, we are just encouraging him to play the way he enjoys–take the game on and express himself. Of course, he will make mistakes and learn from them, but for now, we just want him to have fun and soak in the experience,” he added.
Dravid also highlighted how the team has retained younger Indian talent like skipper Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, even though they had to compromise on their overseas line-up.
“I have seen many talented youngsters–Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prithvi Shaw, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Khaleel Ahmed–and some of them have taken different timelines to develop, and that is okay. Vaibhav was not picked just because he is young, we genuinely felt that with a bit of work, he could succeed in this tournament. He has got a high backlift, great bat speed, and very sharp hand-eye coordination. His ability to pick up length quickly is impressive, and that gives him real power,” he added.
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