“Beyond Playing in the IPL…”: India’s 13-Year-Old Prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi Makes Major Revelation

Teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi is more thrilled about the opportunity to be coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid at Rajasthan Royals than the prospect of becoming the youngest ever IPL player. The 13-year-old made history last month by becoming the youngest cricketer to be bought at an IPL auction, with Rajasthan Royals securing his services. “I’m really happy to have the chance to play in the IPL, but more than that, I’m excited to be coached by Rahul Dravid sir. That’s what I’m most looking forward to,” said Suryavanshi.

“I don’t have any specific strategy for the IPL; I’ll just play my natural game,” said Suryavanshi, who also expressed his belief that India’s performance in the recent U-19 Asia Cup wasn’t poor, despite falling short of reclaiming the title after a loss to Bangladesh in the final.

He explained that India’s batting collapse in the summit clash on December 8, where they were dismissed for 139 while chasing 199, was a situation that could happen to any team. “I wouldn’t say we didn’t perform well in the tournament; sometimes teams face a collapse in their batting. That’s what happened to us in the final,” said the 13-year-old, who had impressed in the tournament with two half-centuries.

“We are determined to perform better in future tournaments,” he added in an interview with PTI Videos.

India holds the record for the most titles in the tournament’s history, with eight, the last of which was won in 2021.

The Bihar-born cricketer also acknowledged the support he’s received from his state. “The Bihar Cricket Association has helped me immensely throughout my journey. Our president, Rakesh sir, has been very supportive, and I’m really grateful to everyone.”

He also shared that the Bihar Chief Minister wished him luck and blessed him for his future endeavors. Looking ahead, Suryavanshi expressed his goal of representing India at the senior level in cricket.