Smells like teen spirit: prodigies, prodigals and everything in between Premium

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a teenage cricket prodigy, defies conventional logic by smashing records in the IPL at just 14.

Over the past few weeks, a question has popped up in the minds of many players, commentators and fans associated with cricket: What were we doing when we were 14?

Serious reflection may elicit a variety of interesting responses. But the brief purpose of this rhetorical query is to highlight the point that none of us was bludgeoning world-class bowlers and bringing up 35-ball centuries under the piercing gaze of vast audiences in the Indian Premier League.

At an age when most boys, experiencing puberty and perhaps a phase of teenage rebellion, are prone to glibly conjuring up a new career path every month, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a professional cricketer defying conventional logic in the world’s biggest T20 league. Frankly, for a large majority of us, even to dream along these lines would be beyond the realms of possibility.

In Suryavanshi’s adolescent life — let it sink in that he belongs to a generation even more nascent than Gen-Z — he has already made a habit of doing things that would be considered straight out of a fairy tale. In January 2024, at the age of just 12 years and 284 days, he made his First Class debut for Bihar against domestic giant Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. 

Then in September-October, featuring for India U-19, the left-hander smashed a 58-ball century against Australia U-19 in a Youth Test in Chennai. It pointed to a precocious talent, but what ensued in November, during the IPL auction in Jeddah, was truly unprecedented: still 13, his cherubic face exuding blissful ignorance, he attracted a bidding war that eventually saw Rajasthan Royals cough up a whopping ₹1.1 crore.

If all this was out of the ordinary, the boy from Samastipur has endeared himself to fans even further this summer. That his bat could produce moments of Mary Poppins-induced magic became apparent after his very first ball in the IPL when he backed away and thumped Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur for a spectacular six over extra cover. He made 34 off 20 balls, a few tears rolling down his cheeks on his dismissal being the only giveaway of his tender age.

Just two matches later, the view that this is a wonderkid poised to leave our collective jaws on the floor was fortified. Against a Gujarat Titans attack comprising six international bowlers, Suryavanshi hit a record-shattering 38-ball 101 to help RR hunt down 210 in 15.5 overs. “There is no fear. I don’t think much, I just focus on playing” was Suryavanshi’s laconic post-match remark.