Remember The Name - Cricket World Reacts To Suryavanshi Cenrury

Why hit a single when you can hit a six off the ball?

The cricket world is still reeling from 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's stunning century in the Indian Premier League

That was the question 14-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi asked one of his first coaches in professional cricket.

"Vaibhav was hitting sixes and fours off almost every ball," recalls Manish Ojha, a former first-class cricketer from Jharkhand.

"After the session, I said: 'Vaibhav, why are you hitting only boundaries? State matches are a four-day format and we will need you to take more singles.' He replied: 'Sir, if I can hit a six off the ball, why would I take a single off that?' That's when I realised he was ready for the next level."

That six-hitting incident lit up cricket's most glamorous stage on Monday, when the teenager became the youngest player to score a century in men's T20 cricket.

Batting for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, he thrashed some of the best bowlers in the world in a stunning 38-ball innings that included 11 sixes and seven fours.

Experienced international bowlers Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan were treated in the same way as the unlucky 12-year-old bowlers who bowled in the nets with Suryavanshi a few years ago.

Who is Suryavanshi?

Vaibhav's IPL entry drama is going on. He started his career by hitting a six off the very first ball and hit a four in his third match.

A student from a small district in Bihar, India, he soon proved his talent. Vaibhav's father Sanjeev Suryavanshi, who himself was a club level player, saw a talent in his sons. But there were no academies around the district, so he started training at home from the age of five.

Sanjeev, who runs a small shop, came to know that one of his son's coaches had drowned. So when Vaibhav turned eight, his father decided to take him to the city of Patna, a three-hour journey.

Robin Singh, a coach from Bihar, said, "Who used to say: 'What are you doing?' But he was the first person to believe in Vaibhav's glory." "His son trained well and his father sold his land to get him the best of the movies. His mother too had to sacrifice a lot. She would wake up at three in the morning to set up his installation and even send food for the coaches." Vaibhav impressed his new coaches in no time. "When I started working with him, I found that his technique is quite different.

You would show him a technique or a shot and he would learn the technique from it in no time," Ojha said. "Most players adapt easily in practice, but when it comes to a match, they get involved. But Vaibhav was so intent that he would execute the animation even during a high-pressure match." Vaibhav was always ahead of his age group.

From his strokeplay to game awareness, he stood out. "Within 10 days with kids his age, we realised that we were wasting his time. So, we started making him practise with older players," Singh recalled. Vaibhav used to practice from 7.30 am to 4 pm every day and faced 450 balls every day. When he was 12 years old, his coach was designed to give him the validity of cricket games as a professional.

He played for the Bihar Under-19 team and scored runs consistently, which led to the selection commissioner to include him in the India Under-19 team. At just 13 years old, he scored a century against Australia in a youth Test at the age of 58.

He was soon included in the Ranji Trophy (India's premier first-class tournament), joining the Bihar team and then he became the youngest player to get a contract in the IPL auction when Rajasthan signed him for £103,789 (Rs 1.1 crore) in December 2024.

"Vaibhav's role model is Brian Lara, so his game is aggressive and he is a player of his calibre without any fear," Ojha said. "We were hoping he would get an IPL contract, and when Rajasthan Royals bought him we were over the moon because they have [India legend] Rahul Dravid on their coaching staff." Singh added: "When he became the youngest player to score in first-class cricket, I told him: 'Anyone can become the youngest player. I will be happy when you become the youngest centurion.' So yesterday after he scored a century he called me and said: 'Sir, the youngest centurion.' And I couldn't be more proud."

How good can he be?

Suryavanshi has already been nicknamed Boss Baby in the cricketing circles, drawing comparisons to Chris Gayle aka The Universe Boss.

West Indies' Gayle still holds the record for the fastest IPL century, taking just 30 balls in 2013, while Suryavanshi easily broke the record for the youngest player to score a T20 century, previously held by Maharashtra's Vijay Zol.

Sachin Tendulkar - the greatest run-scorer of all time - made his debut for India at just 16, and Suryavanshi's former coach believes he will soon make it to the national team like the Little Master.

"A boy from a small village in Bihar has reached the IPL. The whole world is talking about him. So, he knows how to open doors. Don't be surprised if he gets to the international level soon," Singh said. Earlier, Suryavanshi, who was gifted around £9,000 by his state government after his IPL century, has his eyes set on Thursday's match against title-seekers Mumbai Indians, where he will face world's best bowler Jasprit Bumrah.