Vaibhav Suryavanshi put on alert, told to handle ‘fame, money' for India debut: ‘Next IPL will be tough,' says Dhawan

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Vaibhav Suryavanshi was ecstatic when Shubman Gill reached his record double century in the second Test against England. He was, after all, catching his "role model" in action from the Edgbaston stands, which, incidentally, also marked his first appearance in a Test match outside India. For once, it felt like he was acting his age -- a 14-year-old relishing the opportunity of watching a Test match in England. On most days, Vaibhav seldom behaves like a starstruck teenager when he is in and around a cricket field. Dare we say, he himself is one in the making. Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays for India U19(Action Images via Reuters)
Vaibhav's batting, however, is anything like his role model, Gill. It has more similarities with vice-captain Rishabh Pant. A left-hander, destructive, with no regard for the reputation of the bowler. In the 35-ball century that he scored in the IPL -- the fastest by an Indian and the youngest overall in the tournament -- he despatched international bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, and Prasidh Krishna like they were a bunch of novices trying their hand at fast bowling.
He did the same to Marco Jansen. Then to Arshdeep Singh. Then to Noor Ahmed. Then to Ravindra Jadeja. And before you knew it, he raked up 252 runs in 7 matches in his maiden IPL season at a strike rate of 206.56. And, wait for it. He hit 24 sixes. That is three and a half sixes per innings. And all that, after he had just turned 14.
If you are thinking Vaibhav Suryavanshi's claim to fame was the IPL, then think again. Well, his claim to global fame was definitely the IPL. But even before that, he had made a name for himself in the cricketing circuit by smashing a 58-ball century for India U19 against Australia in a four-day game. That, in many ways, paved the way for him to bag an IPL contract with the Rajasthan Royals.
Fast hands. Impeccable hand-eye coordination. A fearless approach and solid base are some of the attributes that make Vaibhav special. Very early in his career, he sent out signals of burying the overseas ghost. In his first tour to England as part of the India U19 squad, Vaibhav smashed 17 sixes in the three Youth ODIs he played against England U19. There are two matches to go. One thing the teen from Bihar would want apart from the towering sixes and the stratospheric strike rate is a big score.
Shikhar Dhawan warns Vaibhav Suryavanshi about fame and money
He was out for 86 in the 3rd match. Before that, he was dismissed in the 40s twice. Getting the big scores is just a small roadblock. There are bigger challenges that await Vaibhav Suryavanshi, feels former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan.
"How old is he, 13-14? (To play IPL) at the age of 14, is a very big thing. The way he was hitting the bowlers and standing in front of the big boys of world cricket at such a young age is remarkable. When I look at his confidence while hitting the big shots... it's amazing. Thanks to IPL, our kids can now dream of getting into a big team from the age of 5. Vaibhav manifested that dream. He is there. A big congratulations to him and his family. A very proud moment for all of us in cricket. A 14-year-old kid playing a big league like that and dominating is unthinkable," Dhawan told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat.
Dhawan, himself an explosive opening batter during his playing days, cautioned Suryavanshi about fame, attention and money.
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"For him, the challenge is going to be how he is gonna handle the fame, the attention, and the money as well. A blessing that happened to him is that he was in great hands... Rahul Bhai, Vikram Paji (coaches of Rajasthan Royals). They are very very good cricketers. They don't just believe in making good cricketers but good human beings as well. It's very important to be a good human being."
Dhawan, one of India's all-time best white-ball openers, said Suryakumar will have to face an entirely different challenge when he plays the next season of IPL. Teams will turn up with specific plans, and there is also the pressure of expectations.
"I feel that the second year is gonna be a bit tough for him. Bowlers will know what his strength is. They are gonna plan better against him. He has to face those challenges and grow. How he takes care of his mental health will be very important going forward because expectations will rise. The self-expectation will rise as well. How he is gonna handle all that stuff is what I am looking forward to seeing," Dhawan added.