HEART-THROB: Vaibhav Suryavanshi catches the eye as he touches feet of Thala Dhoni

A picture tells a story more than 1,000 words. Watching Vaibhav Suryavanshi touch the feet of MS Dhoni on Tuesday night after Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League was touching. Such values instilled in a young boy conveys meaning, one of respect and how he has been raised by his modest family.

At 14, Vaibhav has taken the IPL 2025 by storm, smashing a ton against Gujarat Titans earlier on. And even though the match between Rajasthan Royals and CSK was inconsequential, there was an opportunity for young Vaibhav to showcase his talent. When he played his first match in the IPL on April 19 and signalled intent, the world watched with keen eyes. Just 14 and blessed with such strength and technique, he had wowed the world. Of course, in his debut match, Vaibhav did not score big runs. He shed a tear, which could not be hidden by his helmet visor, after he had not done too well.

The young boy then matured and grew. To take on the big bowlers without fear, he showed he was more than ready to fight and score. Some have already called him the ‘Baby Chris Gayle’ though such comparisons should be avoided. The boy from Bihar needs to be given time to grow. At this stage, it may be tempting to say he should be thrown into the deep end of the pool which is international cricket. For that, a rule needs to be tweaked, as he turns 15 much later and by that time India will be staging the ICC T20 World Cup next year (2026).

Back to his cricket, Vaibhav has shown an appetite to score in first class cricket, which is the Ranji Trophy. Someone of his calibre, who has a keen eye and the temperament must be allowed to play all formats in domestic cricket. He is reverential, and the way he spoke about MS Dhoni was indeed respectful. Vaibhav said Dhoni is also from Bihar, which is not really wrong. Jharkand is near Bihar and Vaibhav spoke on the impact Thala Dhoni has made on so many players and public.

It is clear, even as CSK and RR did not do well in the 2025 edition of the IPL, there are plenty of takeaways. Vaibhav is one and how he has shown maturity and respect while speaking about an icon and legend is defining. There are examples of some young superstars finding success and then losing it in their head. No, Vaibhav seems to be mature and will not get swayed by all this adulation.

He will learn to deal with media and social media. And Vaibhav will also realise the way up is even more hard work. He has earned applause from the cricketing legends who do commentary. Yet, what will be good for India and Vaibhav is he continues to blossom as a cricketer. He is a prodigy at 14. Maybe, by 18, when he is fully developed, he will be a far superior cricketer. At least, India expects him to serve the game like a faithful servant.