A 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi took to Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm with his sensational hitting ability. Suryavanshi started his IPL career with a six and later went on to score the fastest century by an Indian off just 35 balls. Former India spinner who donned the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey in IPL 2025 in a conversation with Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson revealed how he was left impressed by the youngster. He recalled how England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Jos Buttler teased RR’s Jofra Archer for taking a beating from a young Suryavanshi.
“I'll tell you one small story. After that RR versus CSK game in Delhi. It is not so much about his hitting. So I bowled one ball, from around the stumps. He played one to cover. And the next ball, I bowled it slow. You have kept wickets for me for a long time. I wanted to see where he would go. He just waited on that ball,” Ashwin told Sanju Samson during a chat on his YouTube channel.
“Just creamed through mid-on for a single. I was like, ‘What the hell, man. Where has this guy come from?’ And he is 14 years old. And I made my debut 18 years ago in the IPL. He was still in the imagination of his parents. So, it was quite crazy. I saw Jos Buttler talk to Jofra about it. He asked him, ‘How did it feel to get smashed by a 14-year-old in the nets?’,” he added.
Samson also heaped praise on Suryavanshi, saying he was shocked to see the southpaw's big-hitting prowess.
“The young boy who is smashing it all around the park for the Rajasthan Royals. Vaibhav Suryavanshi,” the RR captain said.
“When he hit the first ball for a six, I was like, 'That's cool. He lucked out'. But then he just went on and on. The quality of shots he was hitting really shocked me,” he added.
Suryanvashi’s maiden IPL numbers
Suryavanshi was roped in by RR for Rs 1.1 crore in the mega auction. He played seven games in his debut IPL season and scored 252 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55. He hit a total of 24 sixes, six more than the number of fours.
Suryanvanshi on England tour
Suryavanshi was picked in India's Under-19 team for the One-Day and Youth Tests. He scored 355 runs from five One-Day games, including a 143-run knock. In the Youth Tests, he was not at his best, scoring 90 runs from four innings.