Meet The 14-Year-Old Cricketer Setting Records In The Indian Premier League

So what were you doing at 14? Probably safest not to answer that. Even for those who were high achievers at a young age, it’s doubtful anything can top the superhuman deeds of 14-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Talk about a phenom. In just his third game in the Indian Premier league – cricket’s richest and most competitive T20 tournament – Suryavanshi smashed the fastest ever century by an Indian in the competition’s 18-season history.

At just 14 years and 32 days of age, Suryavanshi’s 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans was second only to Chris Gayle’s – the powerful West Indian who was one of the biggest ever hitters – 30-ball ton in 2013.

Suryavanshi obliterated the previous record of the IPL’s youngest centurion – Manish Pande at 19 years and 253 days in 2009. He was born less than a week before India’s last 50-over World Cup triumph in 2011.

Cricket, the popular British bat and ball sport with some similarities to baseball, might not be known for particularly jaw-dropping athletes. But to whack a cricket ball, delivered sometimes at high speeds over 90 mph by the craftiest bowlers on the planet, high into the sky and into the terraces, requires a combination of incredible strength, hand-eye coordination and bat speed.

Until this muggy, record-breaking night in Jaipur, it would have been deemed impossible that a batter so young, underdeveloped physically, could actually sustain that type of power against seasoned bowlers, grown men.

All the frontline bowlers for Titans have played international cricket. Veteran quick Ishant Sharma, one of the bowlers he made a mockery of, burst onto the scene in 2008 when he made aging Australian great Ricky Ponting look rather long in the tooth. That was more than three years before Suryavanshi was even born.

With a whip of the bat, generating rapid bat speed, and timing the ball to perfection, Suryavanshi smashed 11 sixes into the giddy Rajasthan Royals faithful, unable to believe the history unfolding before their very eyes. A prodigy making his first steps, doing something so extraordinary that no amount of hyperbole can suffice.

Suryavanshi hails from the village of Tajpur in the Samastipur district of Bihar, where cricket infrastructure is limited. In a story that is common in cricket-mad India, his parents had to sacrifice greatly for their talented child displaying a knack for smacking the ball further than any other kid.

Suryavanshi, accompanied by his father, had to travel around 150 miles almost daily to Patna, the ancient city and capital of Bihar that sprawls along the south bank of the Ganges River, to get the requisite training he needed.

His dad had to quit his job, while his mom slept just three hours on average to make sure they were prepared for their daily journey.

But the toil was worth it. His rise has been swift. Suryavanshi was just 12 years and 284 days old when he made his first-class debut for Bihar in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy before last year hitting a century against Australia’s under-19 team off just 58 balls.

At 13, Suryavanshi was signed by the Royals for $130,000 in November’s IPL auction in Saudi Arabia. After finally getting off the bench late in the tournament, he showed no nerves with a first-ball six off quick Shardul Thakur in his IPL debut setting the stage to conjure a performance for the ages.

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Suryavanshi is cricket’s greatest phenom since Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar made his international cricket debut at just 16 and looms as the next face of the sport as compatriot Virat Kohli enters his final years.

Of course, in the age of conspiracies and widespread scepticism, questions have been raised around the legitimacy of his age. “He has already played (for) India under-19s. We don’t fear anyone. He can again undergo an age test,” Sanjiv, his father, told the Press Trust of India previously.

Sports continues to shock us. A 40-year-old LeBron James playing 46 minutes in a playoff game after just a 36-hour break. Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl at 43. Simone Biles defying gravity.

The teenaged Suryavanshi, who should be busy watching Marvel, consumed by video games or merely spending his time brooding in his room like his peers, has provided the latest astounding performance in the world of sports.

But his every move will now be heavily scrutinized. No cricketer this young, obviously, has faced his level of attention.

A new era of cricket has arrived and it should be some ride following the insanely gifted Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the greatest 14-year-old the game has ever seen.