India greats welcome ‘rise of a phenom’ in teen sensation Suryavanshi
BENGALURU: India batting great Sachin Tendulkar led the plaudits for 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the Rajasthan Royals batter became the youngest centurion in men’s Twenty20 cricket with a knock for the ages in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Suryavanshi had shown glimpses of his ability with a first-ball six on his IPL debut earlier this month, and on Monday his explosive talent was on full display as he tore apart Gujarat Titans with a 38-ball 101 in the Royals’ eight-wicket win. Rajasthan coach Rahul Dravid forgot about his leg injury and leapt from his wheelchair when Suryavanshi completed his ton in only 35 balls — the fastest by an Indian player in the league and second only to Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century in 2013. “Vaibhav’s fearless approach, bat speed, picking the length early and transferring the energy behind the ball was the recipe behind a fabulous innings,” Tendulkar posted on social media. “End result: 101 runs off 38 balls. Well played!!“ Suryavanshi blasted 11 sixes and seven boundaries as he took established international bowlers to the cleaners before walking off to a standing ovation. “What were you doing at 14?!!” wrote former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
