Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest-ever player sold in an IPL auction, took the cricketing world by storm with his dazzling exploits in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the southpaw scored 252 runs in seven matches with a strike rate of 206.55. The highlight of his maiden IPL season was the mind-blowing 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Suryavanshi, at just 14 years and 32 days, became the youngest-ever batter to score a ton in the cash-rich league. His 101-run knock off 38 balls, studded with seven boundaries and 11 sixes, paved the way for RR’s eight-wicket victory in the chase of 210 with 25 deliveries to spare.
During the course of his whirlwind innings, Suryavanshi broke Yusuf Pathan's 15-year-old record for the fastest IPL hundred by an Indian. His ton was the second fastest in the tournament history after Chris Gayle's century in 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2013.
Recently, Australian legend Steve Waugh spoke about India's newest batting sensation, expressing disbelief at Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s impeccable timing and advising him to focus on "control" to avoid being a supernova.
"I watched that century and I just couldn't believe how well he struck the ball and how easy he was hitting the sixes and how relaxed he was," Waugh said in a media interaction alongside Anil Kumble, Matthew Hayden and Robin Uthappa on 'Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26' organised by JioStar, Cricket Australia and the Australian Government.
"As a 14-year-old, he had no concept of pressure...just play with complete freedom, so that was great to watch. I guess for him the challenge will be to keep it under control," he added.
Waugh reckons Suryavanshi will be a multi-millionaire before turning 16 and would be dealing with the pressures and expectations.
"Can he play the same way with the same enthusiasm, the same freedom as he has done this year? That'll be his challenge," Waugh said.
"He's got a lot of skill, he's mentally tough and he's got a great backstory, so you want to see someone like that be successful. It's a great story for cricket and for me watching from a long way away," Waugh remarked, referring to the well-documented accounts of his parents' sacrifices to ensure his success.
"I don't get to watch a lot of IPL games because it's probably (in) the wrong time of the day. But then, when someone like that comes along, you want to watch the game so he's a fantastic attraction for the sport," he continued.
Every teenaged prodigy invariably draws comparison with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16. However, Waugh refrained from comparing Suryavanshi or anyone with Tendulkar.
"I don't think you can compare anyone to Sachin Tendulkar. I mean, a 16-year-old (18-year-old) coming out to Australia and scoring a century in Perth on the hardest, (the) most unique pitch in world cricket where most players really struggle to play on a pitch," he said.
"...for him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It's very rare you get a Sachin Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable.
"Even right now it's unthinkable. I look back to myself as a 14-year-old and I couldn't contemplate being in that situation and being successful," Waugh added.
Widely regarded as one of the finest Test captains ever, Steve Waugh opined that Indian teams aren't as "intimidated" while touring Australia now and also enjoy massive support from fans.
"I don't think teams are intimidated like they used to be from away tours. They're so well-travelled and well-experienced and have played a lot of conditions, a lot of experience."
"I don't think playing away from home is the same intimidation factor as it used to be 10 (or) 20 years ago and the fact that India have won two Test series recently in Australia, and also they have probably more crowd support in Australia than Australia has got," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
