The Indian Premier League has unearthed another teenaged batting prodigy, one that has done the unthinkable. At the age of 14 years and 32 days, Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed the second-fastest century in IPL history to hasten Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in Jaipur yesterday.
An eighth standard student, Suryavanshi sped to this season’s fastest IPL fifty in just 17 deliveries, and then to his first hundred in the format off a mere 35, complete with 11 sixes and seven fours.
What were you doing at 14?
Set a target of 210 after Shubman Gill scored 84 off 50 balls and Jos Buttler an unbeaten 50 off 26, hosts RR won in 15.5 overs to register their third win in 10 games. The victory will unlikely put them into the playoffs, but in taking down arguably the best bowling attack of the season, 14-year-old Suryavanshi has made the world sit up and take notice.
Having struck his first ball on IPL debut for six against Lucknow Super Giants last weekend, the teenaged opener smoked Mohammed Siraj over the ropes to signal his intentions. With Yashasvi Jaiswal also striking the ball well, RR crossed 50 in the fourth over and were 87 after the Powerplay.
Suryavanshi was severe on anything pitched marginally short, and repeatedly heaved the ball over the legside and into the stands to send the Jaipur crowd into raptures. His 11th six, also towards deep midwicket off Rashid Khan, made him the second-fastest IPL centurion after T20 behemoth Chris Gayle. To a man, the RR dugout stood to applaud their new cherubic batting sensation.
The fun ended soon after as Prasidh Krishna bowled Suryavanshi, but his 101 off 38 deliveries had left RR 166/4 in 11.5 overs. Jaiswal finished the job with 70 off 40 balls, his fifth half-century of the season. “It feels really good. It was my first century in the IPL in my third innings,” Suryavanshi said. “What I’ve been practicing for the last three-four months, the result is showing. It is like a dream, to score a century in the IPL. I am just focusing on playing.”
Jaiswal, who owns the record for the quickest IPL fifty, off 13 balls, was lavish in his praise for Suryavanshi. “He has batted an incredible innings, one of the best I have seen. He was incredible today,” he said. “He played absolutely amazing shots, you can see he’s worked really hard in the nets. He has the game, he has the temperament and mentality, I wish him all the luck to do well.”
Rajasthan had forked out Rs 1.1 crore for their new opener at the mega auction last year, just weeks after he smacked a century off 58 balls for India Under-19s in an unofficial Test match against Australia Under-19s. Before the start of the IPL, Suryavanshi enhanced his credentials with fifties against Sri Lanka U-19s and UAE Under-19s and also scored a 42-ball 71 for his domestic team Bihar in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.
