"10 years ahead of his age-group players": Rising IPL 2025 star's coach heaps praise on young batter

The coach of Rajasthan Royals' (RR) 14-year-old opening batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi has said that the southpaw is 10 years ahead of players from his age group. Manish Ojha, who first saw Suryavanshi when he was nine years old, said that the left-handed batter always intended to be an attacking player and had a different intent from other youngsters.

Ojha added that Suryavanshi had a clear mindset about his batting from a young age.

"Vaibhav came to me when he was around nine years old. The distance from his native Samastipur to Patna is around 100 km, and he used to come to my coaching center every alternate day. People have started noticing him now, but we have seen him grow. His style of batting, his shot selection. He is 10-years ahead of his age-group players," Ojha told News18 Cricketnext in an interview.

“He has always been an attacking player. His intent is very different from others. Usually, kids get tensed while facing seniors or competitive opponents. But Vaibhav is different. He never changes his approach," he added.

Ojha also gave an insight into the mind of Suryavanshi, the batter, saying that the southpaw always preferred the option of taking the aerial route, rather than knocking the ball for a single.

“Once during a match simulation, I asked him why are you not taking singles and doubles. He said, ‘Jis ball ko main chhakka maar sakta hun usmein single kyun lun’ (Why should I go for a single when I can hit that ball for a six?). So, he was very clear about his game from a very young age," he said.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi shines in Sanju Samson's absence for RR

Vaibhav Suryavanshi was drafted into the RR playing XI after Sanju Samson was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Saturday, April 19. The left-hander smashed the first ball of his IPL career for a six and cleared the fence two more times before he was dismissed for 34 off 20 balls.

In the next match against RCB, Suryavanshi got off to a brisk start with two sixes, but fell to Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 16 runs. While the southpaw's aggressive approach has found him admirers, some others like Virender Sehwag cautioned him to be grounded to have a long career in the IPL.

RR will next take on the Gujarat Titans in Jaipur on Monday, April 28.