MANIC VAIBHAV: 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi burns bright

At 14, kids want to learn how to master skills in any sport they pick up, be it as an avocation or wanting to turn pro. On Monday night, in steamy Jaipur, new kid on the block, Vaibhav Suryavanshi set the IPL 2025 on fire as he plastered the Gujarat Titans bowling for a classic 108 off 38 balls. Having made his IPL debut just last week against  Lucknow Super Giants, Vaibhav looked composed. Yet, when he was out that day without scoring big, he shed a tear. He wiped it, even as the helmet visor was shielding his face.

In the course of the three matches in the IPL, Vaibhav has gained strength, though bowlers will call it notoriety as he smashed the reputed bowlers with utter disdain. Strength, steel and hand-eye coordination of finest order, Vaibhav took on seasoned bowlers like Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj and a few more. There is nothing more painful than a fast bowler being treated with arrogance bordering on contempt.

This was a combust knock from Vaibhav, where he mastered the arena. A batter in the IPL needs one ball to get out. And for a batter to produce a ton, a rhapsody, it needs more than luck. Vaibhav is a package which few can think of at 14. When Chris Gayle smashed the fastest IPL ton 13 years ago, Vaibhav was a babe, just one. So, at 14, to be so perfect and essay shots which are not wild or cross-bat, he has caught the eye. Imagine, getting lavish praise from Sachin Tendulkar to Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag to English legends, Vaibhav has made headlines globally.

What’s different about Vaibhav, he has mastered so much, one wonder what he will do in the next four years. In terms of human physiology, he is not fully developed, plus being a natural left-hander. Where does he produce such shots from, sheer genius or having worked hard, been drilled at in at nets. He has been watched closely by RR coach Rahul Dravid, who is now wheelchair bound after his foot has been plastered. Yet, he stood up to applaud, that is the impact of Vaibhav one The Wall, who is old school.

In January 2025, Vaibhav played Ranji Trophy cricket for Bihar. He had created waves, even then. No, in the IPL, it’s a different pressure. If someone says IPL is just club cricket, he does not know what intensity and pressure are. The best bowlers are on view, and to take on the pedigree bowling attack of Gujarat Titans defined the stage presence of Vaibhav. The boy has been prepped up well at nets and in simulation. Where he comes across as different is batting right up the order and even outpace Yashasvi Jaiswal, himself a destroyer of the white ball in limited overs cricket.

This was unlimited joy from a limitless kid Vaibhav. The big challenge, who is going to protect him from overexposure, social media and marketing gurus who will want to exploit him. This is where the BCCI has to step in, make sure there is workload management. That kid would not even know what to do with the Rs 1.1 crores he fetched at the IPL auction. There may be a temptation, after the IPL, everyone will want to tap Vaibhav the champion for own mileage. Let him and his family rake in big bucks, for he deserves it. But everything needs to be mentored and monitored, as success brings in many crooks as well.

When Michael Chang won the French Open in 1989, he was 17 years and 110 days old. And when American Jennifer Capriati burst onto the scene at a very young age, she was ‘lost.’ She was charged with shoplifting, poor thing.  And then Capriati went on to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics at the age of 16 years and four months. These are examples of how a tough sport has also seen phenomenal talent turning into champions.

More recently, people are complaining about how Formula One should put an age cap on young drivers. They seem to have forgotten reigning World Champion Max Verstappen made his debut in F1 at the age of 17 years and five months. It is not necessary a champion has to go through age group tournaments and then become a champion.

The IPL is a platform to explode and be noticed. Do not think it is just club cricket where matches are easy. To play in front of 40,000 fans screaming their lungs out, Vaibhav shut out the noise. And he did beat the hell out of the white ball without looking ugly. If Sachin looked baby faced in 1989, young Vaibhav looks innocent yet destructive like so many young chess Grandmasters who blaze the 64 squares.