Teenager touted as Indian cricket's 'next superstar'

TEENAGER Vaibhav Suryavanshi was touted as “Indian cricket’s next superstar” yesterday after the 14-year-old’s IPL century off 35 balls shattered batting records.

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Left-handed opener Suryavanshi became the youngest player to hit a T20 hundred in Rajasthan Royals’ thumping eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans on Monday. “It is like a dream,” he said, afterwards.

Suryavanshi, in only his third IPL match, scored the second-fastest century in competition history — second only to Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton in 2013.

Nicknamed “Boss Baby”, Suryavanshi has drawn instant comparisons to the West Indies great, who styled himself as the “Universe Boss”.

Suryavanshi, who made headlines when he was bought by Rajasthan for $130 500 (about R2.4 million) after a bidding war at the November auction at age 13, has been fearless in the face of seasoned opponents.

He announced himself on debut earlier this month by launching his first ball in the IPL for six off experienced India pace bowler Shardul Thakur, on his way to a quickfire 34 off 20 balls.