Vaibhav Suryavanshi called his coach hours before IPL blitzkrieg, was told he looked impulsive: 'Aisi batting karna ki…'
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who took the IPL 2025 by storm with an innings to remember, had spoken to his coach a few hours before the match.
"It's like a dream, and there is no fear," said 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi after blowing the wind out of Gujarat Titans' sails after their IPL 2025 match. Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals, the left-handed teen sensation smashed 101 runs off 38 balls with the help of 8 fours and 11 sixes to help Rajasthan chase down 210 with 25 balls to spare. Such was Suryavanshi's onslaught that even a batter of Yashasvi Jaiswal's calibre was made to play the second fiddle at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday night.
The carnage left Indian seamers Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Ishant Sharma shell-shocked. Ishant, who has been playing cricket for almost two decades, was left scratching his head after conceding 28 runs in the fourth over of the innings. Even the likes of Karim Janat, Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan were not spared.
Vaibhav, who was purchased by the Royals for ₹1.10 crore at the IPL mega auction last November, made his debut for the franchise when Sanju Samson picked up a side strain injury. Playing his first match of the season against Lucknow Super Giants, Vaibhav showed he has no fear in his bones, smashing Shardul Thakur for a six off the first delivery he faced.
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However, no one could have predicted the hitting madness Vaibhav put on display against Gujarat Titans. The youngster's coach, Manish Ojha, was equally in awe of Suryavanshi's achievements in front of a jam-packed stadium in Jaipur.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime innings. Vaibhav has the potential, and he has shown it to the world," Ojha told Hindustan Times, shortly after Vaibhav was adjudged as Player of the Match for his whirlwind innings.
Vaibhav, who hails from Samastipur, Bihar, called his coach on the day of the match against Gujarat Titans. Ojha gave the youngster some valuable tips, and looking back at his knock, one can safely say that he put them all to good use.
"Around 10-11 in the morning, we spoke. If you look at the previous few matches, Vaibhav looked a little aggressive and impulsive. So we talked about that. Actually, cricket is where you have to live in the moment. So I suggested to him 'you take it one ball at a time and act on the merit of the ball'. You can't play pre-plan and pre-meditate against any bowler," said Ojha.
"If you have pre-conceived notions, you will have a different footwork and body language. So I told him to look at the ball and play on its merit, and you will get a better approach and a better result."
On the eve of the match, Vaibhav's coach advised him to focus on his footwork and stressed the importance of taking some time in the middle.
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"It's all about footwork. If you follow only one type of footwork, it will be very easy for the opponent to make a counter-plan. So I told him aisi batting karna ki kisi ko pata na chale tu next shot kya khelega. (Do such batting that no one can predict what shot he will play next). I told him the match would be settled if he played 40-50 balls and if he stayed on the wicket. He just has to apply himself there and approach the opponent on merit. He has such potential that if he plays 30-40 balls and stays at the wicket, the match will get away from the opponent's grasp.
Yashasvi and Vaibhav form a formidable opening partnership
After the contest against Titans, Vaibhav spoke about how his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, has been guiding him throughout. "Batting with Jaiswal is good; he tells me what to do, and he infuses positive things," he said. That sentiment was echoed by Ojha, who said that both batters understand each other's games and are willing to adjust while batting together.
"Vaibhav is a small kid. He always listens to what the seniors have to say. If you look at the last 2-3 matches, Yashasvi took the initiative first when it comes to attacking the bowlers. But as a senior player, every player gives a guideline to their juniors or emerging players. So if you look at the match, whether it's Yashasvi or Vaibhav, both of them are in a very coordinated way," stated Ojha.
"When Yashasvi strikes, Vaibhav plays second fiddle. When Vaibhav strikes, Yashasvi grinds it out. When I spoke to him before the match against Gujarat, I told him to maintain his equation with Yashasvi Jaiswal since it is working out very well. You just see, when Vaibhav was going all guns blazing against Gujarat, Yashasvi kept giving him strike. It is all about the team."
Ojha concluded by saying Vaibhav idolises Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh and wants to become as successful as them, as the ultimate goal remains to play for India.
