Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a raging force at 14. Having already blazed through all-time U19 records, and taken the IPL by storm, Suryavanshi has thrown all conventional graduation levels out of the window. What's the right next step, then? Aadya Sharma examines.
It’s safe to say India’s not seen anything quite like Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Now, teenage superstars aren’t unheard of in the country. India’s greatest-ever batter debuted in Tests at 16. Anyone that age has since had to deal with that high a benchmark. But Suryavanshi is so much more than just another teenage sensation.
In his early teens, Sachin Tendulkar became a talking point a year before his Test debut, following his and Vinod Kambli’s world record school partnership of 664 runs. Newspaper headlines were the currency for popularity then, not social media. Still, Tendulkar wasn’t exposed and seen like today’s youngster, bringing an element of intrigue when he walked out against Pakistan in Faisalabad.
That’s not the case with Suryavanshi. The world has already seen a year and more of him in televised cricket, dissecting his technique, his strengths and weaknesses against top opposition. He is yet to turn fifteen, but already has an Instagram follower count in the millions. He earns INR 1.1 crore a year with Rajasthan Royals, having already become the youngest-ever IPL centurion. That’s a serious checkmark on any player’s resume.
It poses a tricky question: what’s next for Suryavanshi?
Earlier this month, he smashed 171 off 95 in the opening game of the U19 Asia Cup. In 15 Youth ODIs so far, he averages 51.13 with two centuries, three fifties and a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 158.79. Among the 61 players above him on the all-time run-charts, no one has struck at faster than 120.
Technically, he can continue to play Youth ODIs for another five years, but it already feels like a man against boys. The hyper-quick rise has thrown off all calculations.
How early is too early?
It’s not uncommon for early birds to have questions around their exact age, which Suryavanshi has also dealt with. However, the volume of his achievements have largely kept them at bay (whether he’s fifteen or fourteen, he still exceeds basically any player in history at the same stage). At his listed age, he still has roughly about 100 days before he is officially eligible to play international cricket, based on ICC’s regulations.
Realistically, Suryavanshi isn’t close to an India call-up yet. The best format to try him would be T20I cricket, but India are currently packed with top-order options. So much so that Shubman Gill, considered a generational batting talent, couldn’t make it to the T20 World Cup squad, with Ishan Kishan, on the sidelines for two years, finally making his way back in. There’s also Sanju Samson, almost always on the bench, getting very little space to jostle in with Abhishek Sharma permanently holding on to one spot.
Barring Samson, the other three are in the 25-27 age bracket, which means there’s a long career ahead of them. Jaiswal is 23. So far, India have fielded just three teenagers in men’s T20Is, with Washington Sundar being the last (and youngest at 18).
Suryavanshi might have to wait, but every time he goes big in the IPL or breaks another record in domestic cricket, the eyes will shift towards him.
It opens up different schools of thought. He’s clearly aced all youth levels he’s played at, and could soon outgrow them. He’s already debuted in all three formats for his state Bihar. And he continues to remind that his IPL ton was not one-off: against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this month, he cracked 108 off 61, single-handedly carrying the batting lineup. He was their leading run-getter this edition, even as they finished last in the group.
His impact in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy is less eye-catching. In 12 first-class innings, he has one fifty. That 93 came off 67 balls, closely following his India A call-up. There’s less evidence to suggest if he’s a good red-ball cricketer yet, but he did slam a 78-ball century in a youth Test against Australia U19 a couple of months ago, batting at his usual free-flowing tempo.
U19 cricket might be the closest age-appropriate level for him, but it’s unlikely to benefit his game any more. He could still play on, but he’s clearly shown he’s good enough for the higher levels. At the same time, he can’t be chucked into the deep end already, because an unprepared jump can be riskier, setting him up for failure. It’s also important to see how he deals with failure at different levels over time, and what it does to his game and his mentality, since the regular logic of graduation is all thrown off.
It’s also tricky that he plays for a weak team in the Ranji Plate division, and is often without enough batting support from his partners, unlike the IPL or age-group cricket. On the flipside, he faces relatively weaker opponents, so the chance to come out with a headline-making score may be higher, even if with an asterisk.
He played six matches in the last edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, making one fifty (again, Bihar finished last in their group). For a player of his calibre, his own development is probably better achieved in a stronger group, where he’s learning and building on his work through the year. And it’s widely known how Bihar Cricket has struggled with corruption and poor leadership. A move to a different state isn’t unlikely for those looking for better opportunities.
Rajasthan Royals’ role here is going to be crucial. Part of their identity from the start is nurturing young talents, and they’ve done crucial off-season work on current stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel. Suryavanshi will benefit from that philosophy, while the franchise has the advantage of building a future star in his formative years, also enjoying the rewards of marketing him. It could also mean assisting him as he grows through early years of stardom.
Earlier this year, RR’s now former head coach Rahul Dravid said: "We can't control how much people are going to talk about him or what the media writes about him. It's just about recognising this is what happens and putting a certain level of support around that and helping him navigate all of this attention while still allowing him the space to be a youngster.
"It's impossible to completely distance yourself from it [attention] 100%. A lot of you [the media] can play that role as well, if the media can be responsible about how you write about not only his success but also his potential failures.
“Let's be realistic, he's going to go through some ups and downs. We're also going to have to be mindful of that he's a young man finding his way as well."
Final, India Under-19 vs Pakistan Under-19
vs
- Ball by ball Over
The U19 Asia Cup saw a bit of that: after the 171, Suryavanshi managed 5 (6) and 26 (10) against Pakistan, a fifty off 26 against Malaysia and 9 (6) against Sri Lanka. In the final, he got into an on-field tiff with Pakistan quick Ali Raza, gesturing at his shoe in response to a send-off, a clip that was picked up and shared widely on social media.
It’s led to all sorts of “temperament” questions, a rational fear towards any young cricketer with a bright future ahead of him. It’s a cutthroat field where even the brightest sparks can lose their way. Prithvi Shaw’s oft-repeated example is a fair one. When he was fifteen, Trans World Sports documented his journey until then, titling it “The Next Sachin?”. Three years later, the ICC asked the same question in one of their video compilations. At the moment, Shaw is working hard to find his way back, having openly spoken about the perils of the paparazzi, and how the spotlight pushed him into solitude.
“If I go out, people will harass. They will put up something on social media, so I prefer not to step out these days,” was a harrowing quote from a 23-year old.
It remains to be seen whether Suryavanshi can wade through the mental challenges of early stardom. When asked if on-field banter affects him (following an exchange with the UAE U19 keeper), he said: "Main Bihar se hoon. Peeth peeche jo bhi baatein hoti hain, usse mujhe farak nahi padhta. (I am from Bihar. Whatever’s said behind my back doesn’t affect me).”
At least on the surface, he looks unfazed with all the attention. The media training has probably kicked in well already. This year, he was searched on Google more than any other Indian, including Virat Kohli. When asked about it, Suryavanshi couldn’t have been more bothered.
“I don't pay attention to these things. I keep the focus on my game. Yes, I do hear about these developments, and it does feel nice. I look at it, feel good about it and then move forward. That's about it.”
Perhaps, that’s the essence of it. He might not be overawed as we may seem to think a boy that age would be. He appeared just as nonchalant after hitting his first ball in the IPL for a six, which he repeated en route to his record-breaking ton.
“It was a normal thing for me,” he later said. “I have played U19 for India and also at the domestic level, where I have hit first ball sixes. I was not under pressure to play out the first 10 balls. In my mind I was clear that if the ball comes in my radar, I will hit it.”
Long way to go
As a cricketer, Suryavanshi is obviously still a work in progress. His footwork is fairly limited and has seen him get dismissed trying to hoick on the leg side. But he also works with an unconventional grip in the first place, one that Abhinav Mukund, on ESPNcricinfo, observed to be a complete u-turn from the traditionally-coached method. Pointing out his "very predominant bottom hand" effecting a level-pulley motion, instead of a traditional V-grip, Mukund wondered if he can ever defend the ball.
Perhaps, it plays a role in his immense bat-speed that has marvelled everyone, with Sangakkara calling his ball-hitting sound a “gunshot”.
It’s a rare instance where you would hope a player’s prime is still far, far away. A long, fulfilling career could easily go on for two whole decades. The challenge will be keeping that hunger burning all through, not getting bogged down by early failures, and maintaining a clear sense of identity and priorities as the landscape around rapidly evolves.
Back to the first question. When does India unleash Suryavanshi at the top-most tier?
There’s no real hurry, both for India and for him. As he grows up, the IPL will be a great reference point, as will the A setup. The IPL assembles top-quality attacks from around the world, and if he is able to succeed to a suitable extent at that stage, it’s the closest metric to his selection. The India A setup is the next best yardstick, often looked at more closely for Test selection. A couple of years of that, plus a consistent run in the IPL, could be a good starting point. It could give coaches and analysts a clear idea of what they want to tinker with and what they want to let be.
It would also mean playing domestic cricket for a couple more years, by which time there could be a clearer idea of where he stands as a red-ball cricketer. And if he’s better off taking the white-ball route solely, India should be comfortable with that too. Given India’s massive pool of talent, there’s no reason to not branch out to hyper-specific roles, and utilise him as a basepoint to build their future T20I side around.
For now, Suryavanshi should just enjoy what he does, build his love for cricket and figure out his game, just like any other 14-year-old should. There’s no reason to be too critical of him either: he’s still a boy understanding his way through a complex field, and is bound to make silly mistakes too. A strong support system would take care of the rest, as should his immensely supreme skills.
In the words of Suryavanshi himself: “I look at it, feel good about it and then move forward”. At this moment, it’s all that’s needed.
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