Ashwin Quips on Generational Gap With Vaibhav Suryavanshi: ‘I Debuted 18 Years...'
Former India spinner Ashwin has joked about 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's impressive IPL debut, stunning everyone with his shot-making skills.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has joked about how when he made his Indian Premier League debut 18 years ago, teenage star Vaibhav Suryavanshi wasn't even in his parents' imagination, while speaking to Sanju Samson about the 14-year-old and his shot-making skills.
Vaibhav was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.1 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, becoming the youngest cricketer ever to earn an Indian Premier League contract.
On his Indian Premier League debut, Vaibhav launched his very first delivery for a six and went on to score 34 off just 20 balls.
'When he hit the first ball for a six, I was like, 'That's cool…he lucked out'. But then he just went on and on and on. Wow! The quality of the shots he was hitting shocked me," Vaibhav's IPL captain, Sanju Samson, said while speaking on Ashwin's YouTube channel.
'Let me tell you a small story, after the Rajasthan vs Chennai match in Delhi, I was talking to Panish (Shetty, RR lead analyst). You also joined us and left. It isn't just about his (Vaibhav's) hitting," Ashwin replied.
'I bowled one to him round the stumps and he smacked it through the covers. The next ball, I bowled a slower one. You (Samson) have kept wickets for me for a long time and you know I do that to see if he would go for the big one," Ashwin said.
'I pulled it a bit wide and he (Vaibhav) just waited and gave it a solid shot and the ball went through mid-on for a single. I remember thinking, 'What the hell, man… Where has this guy come from?" Ashwin added.
'He (Vaibhav) was 14 and I made my IPL debut 18 years ago. He was not even in the imagination of his parents… That was quite crazy. I saw Jos Buttler talking to Jofra Archer about it. About how it was to get smashed around by a 14-year-old in the nets," Ashwin said.
On April 28, 2025, Vaibhav blasted a hundred off just 35 deliveries, becoming the youngest centurion in Indian Premier League history and setting the record for the fastest century by an Indian in the tournament.
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
20 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Mohammed Siraj launches 1983 World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Kirmani's autobiography 'Stumped'
Getty Images Mohammed Siraj Hyderabad: India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Sunday launched 'Stumped: Life Behind and Beyond The Twenty-Two Yards', the autobiography of 1983 World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani. The book was launched in the presence of Kirmani, former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, Telangana Labour Minister Vivek Venkatswamy and other dignitaries. Siraj said Kirmani has been a source of inspiration to the younger generation like him. "Sir, when you won the 1983 World Cup, we were not even born. It has been a motivating and inspiring story of yours. I have heard from many players, your reflexes behind the wickets were extraordinary. Thank you so much for everything for the Indian cricket team," he said. Kirmani praised Siraj for his performances, including in the Test series against England. "You performed really well. My congratulations to you. You have brought glory to the country with your aggressiveness right from the heart it was. I wish you every success," Kirmani said Kirmani was jovial and well-liked by teammates."The book is already released in Bengaluru. It is important that he released it in Hyderabad also. He (Kirmani) will guide many wicket keepers and many cricketers in the future," he said."I would definitely urge all the young wicketkeepers must go to 'Kiri bhai'. I think he is one the finest wicketkeepers the world has ever produced," Azharuddin told PTI Videos. Vivek Venkatswamy said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is committed to promoting sports in the state. Though Reddy was supposed to launch the book, he could not attend the event due to pressing engagements.
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Annu Rani goes past 62m, Animesh Kujur takes 200m gold: Snippets from World Athletics Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar
The highlight of India's first World Athletics Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar was a dramatic last-ditch effort by the country's ace long jumper Sreeshankar Murali, who clinched his event with a last attempt of 8.13m to stave off the impressive teenager Shahnavaz Khan. The 17-year-old Khan was leading, on the verge of pulling off an upset with his fourth-round jump of 8.04m, while Sreeshankar was second with 7.95m. But the 26-year-old Sreeshankar saved the best for his last try to clinch top spot. Apart from men's long jump, here are four events that stood out at the Kalinga Stadium: The first event of the day started slowly with every eye on veteran Indian thrower Annu Rani. 'Since I have got my rhythm back, I want to achieve the World Championships qualification,' she had told The Indian Express on the eve of the competition. And staying true to her words, Annu came up with two big throws of 62.01m and 61.10m to further solidify her position in the World Championships qualification ranking. The 32-year-old was way clear of the rest of the field as second best thrower was NDL Lekamalage of Sri Lanka with 56.27m. 'Despite fatigue, if I can cross 60m easily, then I guess I am ready for a medal at the Worlds,' said Annu after her win. Probably the most competitive field of the day, men's javelin throw witnessed a stunning opening as Rumesh Pathirage threw 86.50m to record his personal best, set a new Sri Lankan national record, and qualify for the World Championships directly. However, it was a dull show after the starting high as only four Throwers crossed 80m. The latest Indian entrant to the 80m club, Shivam Lohakare denied a 1-2 Sri Lankan finish with 80.73m throw while former Sri Lanka NR holder Sumedha Ranasinghe finished third with 80.65m. World Championships bound Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh had poor outings with best throws of 79.80m and 78.53m. One of the most sought-after race of the evening, the men's 100m had an anti-climactic finish as the winner Muhammad Azeem Fahemi of Malaysia went down immediately after the finish, calling for medical help. The Malaysian clocked 10.35s to win but was in pain after evidently pulling a muscle. Sri Lanka's Chamod Yodhasing finished second with 10.43s and 18-year-old Malaysian Danish Iftikhar came third with 10.50s. It was a disappointing race for the Indians as the fastest man in heats, Harsh Raut finished fifth with 10.56s. The last individual race of the day drew the most cheers as the local lad Animesh Kujur walked on to the track nonchalantly. However, after winning the race with a timing of 20.77s, Animesh said,'Honestly, for the first time I saw a crowd here for athletics and it put a bit pressure on me. I knew I had to perform for them.' It was a special occasion for him as his parents were in attendance, watching him. This is the first time his parents have seen him running since 2022. 'It was exciting to see so many people cheering for him. Never thought of this moment,' his father Amrit Kujur told the media later on. With this win, Animesh has added more ranking points to his kitty, further solidifying his position in the World Championships qualification race.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Tribute to ex-Liverpool forward Diogo Jota controversially disrupted at Wembley
A tribute to former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva was disrupted on Sunday when some fans at the Community Shield match failed to observe a moment's silence. General view of players during a minutes silence in memory of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva before the match.(REUTERS) Before the game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Wembley both teams and their staff stood silently to commemorate the brothers — who died in a car accident in Spain in July — but loud voices could be heard in the crowd, which prompted some boos. Referee Chris Kavanagh then blew his whistle to signal the end of the tribute. This was Liverpool's first major game since the death of Jota, who was 28. The brothers died when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into flames near the northwestern city of Zamora. The Premier League champion has made a number of tributes to Jota following his death, including retiring his No. 20 jersey. Liverpool supporters began to applaud Jota when Sunday's game reached the 20-minute mark and that applause quickly erupted into cheers as new signing Jeremie Frimpong scored to put the Merseyside club 2-1 ahead. Eventually Crystal Palace won the match, courtesy of a thrilling penalty shootout.
