After the triumph, the travails: the big step up from the Under-19 stage Premium

At just 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has dazzled in the IPL and Under-19 World Cup. Is he the next Sachin Tendulkar or a cautionary tale like Vinod Kambli? A deep dive into India’s teenage cricket prodigy and the road ahead.

The prodigy has an enduring allure, more so if he is yet to sprout whiskers, and his voice has a pre-adolescent twang. This is a trait often linked to subcontinental cricket, especially in India and Pakistan.

An Imran Khan would stroll the streets in Pakistan and pick lads hurling a tape-ball at tremendous pace. And in India, there are these two forever projects linked to finding the next Kapil Dev and the next Sachin Tendulkar.

In all these quests, the subject of curiosity is a young boy, yet to feel the splash of an aftershave on his chin. “Chotte”, or little one, might sound like body-shaming in these politically correct times, but it is also a term of endearment from the senior professional to the pre-pubescent youngster breaking into the big world of cricket.

Be it India or Pakistan, the search for the next big “chotte”, a striking oxymoron, is always on. Seen in this context, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14 years old, and on the cusp of turning 15, has ticked all the boxes.

Age entirely on his side, a cherubic face, stunning talent, and hell, he has already played First Class cricket for Bihar, Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures for Rajasthan Royals, and is a vital cog within the India Under-19 outfit. The numbers he has stacked up are staggering.

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