At an age of just 14 years and 32 days old, Suryavanshi became the youngest player in the history of men’s T20 cricket to have scored a century. The left-handed batter first raised his fifty off just 17 deliveries, leaving veteran pacer Ishant Sharma to the cleaners for 26 runs in an over. In the IPL history he is now just behind Chris Gayle as the second fastest player. Interestingly, no other player under the age of 18 has ever achieved a T20 century before. He is also the 7th Indian teenager to have scored a T20 ton after Rohit Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal and Manish Pandey.
Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja was left thoroughly impressed by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s historic century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur. Jadeja remarked that Indian cricket has entered a new era, calling the teenager’s extraordinary knock a game-changing moment in the sport’s future.
“The Ability To Overcome Emotions At 14 Is Massive”
“Some shots he played, you have to first dream of them before you can execute them. For a 14-year-old to think like that is unbelievable. Go back to the first ball he faced three matches ago against Shardul Thakur, and he showed then that he belonged. When he got out after scoring 30 that day, he was visibly emotional, almost in tears, but within minutes, he was smiling again in the dugout. The ability to overcome emotions at 14 is massive. His mindset is special. I’m not directly comparing it, but just like MS Dhoni’s arrival changed belief among kids from smaller towns, this moment could change how every 14-15-year-old across India imagines their journey. Cricket in India won’t be the same again,” Jadeja said on JioHotstar.
“I Have Never Seen Such A Fabulous Performance”
“I have never seen such a fabulous performance, and never could I have imagined the impact it would create. We had Sachin Tendulkar at 14 or 15, but he went through the grind Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy before playing for the country. Parthiv Patel once came in without first-class cricket experience and saved a Test match for India. But this is altogether different,” he said.
Ajay Jadeja Lauds His Hitting Ability
“This is T20 cricket a fearless 14-year-old taking down 3-4 of the best bowlers around: Rashid Khan, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Chasing a target around 210, the very fact that he just kept going especially favoring the on-side but playing some incredible shots through the off-side too was special. That six off Prasidh Krishna’s slower ball, with his weight completely on the back foot over long-off, was absolutely incredible,” he added.
Jadeja Lauds Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Exceptional Talent
“I don’t have the vocabulary to fully explain the emotions I’m feeling. I’ll try to put it this way: every one of us who played cricket dreamt of moments like this in our drawing rooms or local grounds. At 14 or 15, we all dreamt differently, but this is what you dream about to go out and live it in the TATA IPL against players with such experience and talent.”
(With ANI Inputs)
