'why Hit A Single When You Can Hit Six?' - The Making Of A Teen Ipl Star

Why deed a azygous erstwhile you tin deed nan shot for a six?

That was nan very mobility posed by 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to 1 of his first coaches successful master cricket.

"Vaibhav was hitting sixes and fours disconnected almost each ball," recalls Manish Ojha, a erstwhile first-class cricketer for Jharkhand.

"After nan session, I said: 'Vaibhav, why are you only hitting boundaries? The authorities matches are a four-day format and we will request you to return much singles.' He replied: 'Sir, if I tin deed a shot for six, why would I return a azygous disconnected it?' That's erstwhile I realised he was fresh for nan adjacent level."

That six-hitting lit up nan astir glamourous of cricketing stages connected Monday erstwhile nan teen became nan youngest subordinate to people a period successful men's T20 cricket.

Batting for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, he took down immoderate of nan world's champion bowlers successful a scintillating 38-ball innings that included 11 sixes and 7 fours.

Experienced world bowlers Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan were treated pinch nan aforesaid disdain arsenic those unlucky 12-year-olds who netted pinch Suryavanshi a mates of years earlier.

Vaibhav's introduction to nan IPL has been dramatic. He started his profession pinch a six disconnected nan first shot he faced and went connected to people a 100 successful conscionable his 3rd appearance.

Born successful Samastipur, a mini territory successful India's Bihar, he quickly showed promise. Vaibhav's father, Sanjeev Suryavanshi, himself a club-level cricketer, saw a spark successful his son. But location were nary due academies astir nan district, truthful he started his training astatine location from nan property of five.

Sanjeev, who utilized to tally a mini shop, began to realise his boy needed a due coach. So erstwhile Vaibhav turned eight, his begetter decided to return him to Patna city, a three-hour travel away.

"Many group would show him: 'What are you doing?' But he was nan first personification to judge successful Vaibhav's abilities," said Robin Singh, a coach from Bihar.

"To guarantee his boy trained good and sewage to usage nan champion facilities, his begetter had to waste a crippled of land. His mother had to make a batch of sacrifices too. She would aftermath up astatine 3 successful nan greeting to hole meal for him and would moreover nonstop nutrient for nan coaches."

Vaibhav impressed his caller coaches successful nary time.

"When I started moving pinch him, I recovered him rather different from others. You would springiness him a demo of a method aliases a shot, and he would prime it up successful nary time," Ojha said.

"Most of nan players adopt things easy successful practice, but erstwhile it comes to playing matches, they fail. But nan unsocial characteristic astir Vaibhav was that he would execute things perfectly moreover during high-pressure matches."

Vaibhav was ever up of his property group. From his strokeplay to crippled awareness, he would guidelines out.

"Within 10 days of playing alongside nan kids of his age, we realised we were wasting his time. So, we started making him practise pinch elder players," Singh recalled.

Vaibhav would practise regular from 7.30am to 4pm, facing 450 balls each day. By nan clip he was 12, his coaches were assured capable to fto him prosecute cricket professionally.

He played for nan Bihar under-19s squad and amassed accordant runs, prompting selectors to sanction him successful nan India Under-19s team. Aged conscionable 13, he smashed a 58-ball 100 successful a younker Test against Australia.

He was soon drafted into Bihar's squad for nan Ranji Trophy (India's premier first-class tournament) earlier becoming nan youngest subordinate to get a statement astatine nan IPL auction arsenic Rajasthan signed him for £103,789 (1.1 crore rupees) successful December 2024.

"Vaibhav's domiciled exemplary is Brian Lara, truthful his crippled is aggressive, and he plays nan shot connected merit without immoderate fearfulness astatine all," Ojha added.

"We expected him to get an IPL contract, and our joyousness doubled nan infinitesimal Rajasthan Royals sewage him because they person [India legend] Rahul Dravid connected their coaching staff."

Singh added: "When he became nan youngest to debut successful first-class cricket, I told him: 'Anyone tin go nan youngest. I'll beryllium happy erstwhile you go nan youngest centurion.' So yesterday he called maine up aft scoring nan period and said: 'Sir, youngest centurion.' And I couldn't beryllium prouder."

Suryavanshi has already been nicknamed Boss Baby successful cricketing circles by those who spot comparisons pinch Chris Gayle, aka The Universe Boss.

West Indian Gayle still holds nan grounds for nan fastest IPL century, having taken conscionable 30 balls successful 2013, but cipher other has scored 1 quicker successful nan competition, while he easy hit nan grounds of 18 years and 118 days for nan fastest T20 period which was antecedently held by Maharashtra's Vijay Zol.

Sachin Tendulkar - nan top run-scorer of each clip - made his India debut aged conscionable 16, and Suryavanshi's erstwhile coach judge he will soon travel The Little Master into nan nationalist team.

"A feline from a mini colony successful Bihar has made it to nan IPL. The full world is talking astir him. So, he knows really to unfastened doors. Don't beryllium amazed if he makes it to world level soon," Singh said.

Before then, Suryavanshi, who has been talented almost £9,000 by his authorities government pursuing his IPL century, has his sights group connected title-chasing Mumbai Indians connected Thursday, wherever he comes face-to-face pinch Jasprit Bumrah, nan world's champion bowler.

Listen to unrecorded commentary connected Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians connected Thursday, unrecorded connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and nan BBC Sport website and app