Last Updated:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi says wherever he has reached today in his cricket career is because of his family.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the toast of the town. (BCCI Photo)
When Vaibhav Suryavanshi walked out to bat on IPL debut, he had already created history by becoming the youngest player in the tournament’s history. And then he stunned everyone by smashing fast bowler Shardul Thakur for a six off what was the very first delivery of his IPL career. He scored an entertaining 34 off 20 in his maiden innings and it was just the signs of things to come.
On Monday, playing in his third IPL match, Vaibhav rewrote history. He smashed a blazing century off just 35 deliveries to break the record for the quickest IPL century by an Indian. And doing so at the age of 14 made him the youngest ever to reach the milestone in T20 cricket.
Basking in the glory of his maiden IPL ton, Vaibhav recalled the sacrifices of his father Sanjeev and mother Aarti to ensure he remains on the right track to achieve his cricket dream.
“I am what I am because of my parents. My mother, for the sake of my practice schedule, wakes up at 2 in the morning after going to sleep at 11, sleeping barely three hours. She then prepares meals for me. My father left his work to support me. My elder brother is taking care of his work and the household is running with great difficulty. But papa is backing me,” Vaibhav said in an interview with IPL.
“…god ensures that those who work hard never fail. The results that we are seeing and the success that I am achieving is because of my parents,” he added.
For Vaibhav, hitting the very first ball of his career was business as usual.
“It was a normal thing for me. I have played Under-19 for India and also at the domestic level, where I have hit first ball sixes. I was not under pressure to play out the first 10 balls. In my mind I was clear that if the ball comes in my radar, I will hit it,” Vaibhav said.
“It was not like that I was thinking it’s my first game. Yes, there was an international bowler (in front of me) and the stage was big but I was just playing my game,” he added.
Hailing from Bihar’s Samastipur, Vaibhav was born a good three years after the IPL got underway so his marauding knock makes him the first player who is younger than the league itself to score a hundred in it.
The youngster vowed to keep his focus despite the spotlight and work towards finding a place in the national team.
“I want to contribute for India and I have to work hard for that. I cannot stop working hard till I achieve that level. I will try to do well for the country,” he said.
He was also thankful towards the Rajasthan Royals team management for instilling confidence in him at step of the way after he was brought on board following a trial.
“I was preparing for this moment for a long time and I am happy that it worked out the way I wanted. In the trials, I batted well and there was (batting coach) Vikram (Rathour) sir and (team manager) Romi (Bhinder) sir who said we will try to pick you in the team.
“They introduced me to (head coach) Rahul (Dravid) sir. To be trained by Rahul sir is a dream come true and I get a lot of support from the other support staff and senior players, they give me confidence that I can do it,” he said.
“They always tell me that I can win it for the team. There is no pressure of what will happen next because they motivate me,” he added.
With PTI Inputs
