Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid spoke highly about Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s ‘fearlessness’ but also sent a warning to the 14-year-old about the ‘ups and downs’ he will face in his career. Suryavanshi went into record books against Gujarat Titans as the youngest centurion in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) at 14 years and 32 days.
That’s not all. The teenager from Samastipur in Bihar, also became the youngest ever to score a T20 hundred in the world and the fastest (35) Indian to an IPL hundred, surpassing Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball ton in 2008.
“Teams will get smarter against him, and he’ll face ups and downs—that’s the nature of T20 cricket. From our side, we’re just encouraging him to play the way he enjoys—take the game on and express himself. Of course, he’ll make mistakes and learn from them, but for now, we just want him to have fun and soak in the experience,” Dravid responded to a query during Star Sports Press Room on Wednesday.
Having impressed the scouts with shot making, Suryavanshi was roped by by Rajasthan Royals last year during the mega auction, the left-hander honed his skills at the nets under the supervision of batting coach Vikram Rathour and Dravid.
While he warmed the bench in the first half of IPL 2025, Suryavanshi announced his arrival in place of injured Sanju Samson with a first-ball six off Shardul Thakur of Lucknow Super Giants. Two games later, the Rajasthan Royals opener struck a 35-ball hundred in Jaipur.
Dravid hailed Suryavanshi’s fearlessness. “For me, it’s really his fearlessness and the way he doesn’t get fazed by the occasion or the pressure around him, that’s something truly special. You don’t usually see that in someone so young. He also has a remarkable range of shots. He’ll need to keep working hard, developing his game, and improving,” added the former India coach.
Not worrying about points table: Dravid
With six points in 10 matches, Rajasthan Royals are place eighth in the points table and have slim chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Speaking on their playoffs qualification, Dravid wants to take one game at a time. “It’s a tight tournament.
“Teams at the bottom can beat teams at the top. The margins are small. We’re aware that with six points we’re low on the table, but we’re taking it one game at a time. The focus is on winning the next match—not worrying about the table,” he added.
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