14 and famous, what coach feels

RR coach Dravid urges caution with respect to opener Suryavanshi's immediate future

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @ Chennai

RAHUL Dravid is as phlegmatic as they come. Almost all his responses are measured, concise. However, during Rajasthan Royals' successful run chase against Gujarat Titans a couple of days ago, the coach, his foot still in a cast after suffering a fracture, leapt out of his seat to applaud young Vaibhav Suryavanshi's daring 100. His ortho, if he had seen that video, may have left a stern voice note but physical inconveniences be damned.

Suryavanshi, just 14, was thrown in to do the deep end by the franchise after an injury to Sanju Samson. And the southpaw has not only met the challenge but has emerged as one of the franchise's better buys at the auction. Post his 100, the teen is now the talk of the cricketing world and has featured on primetime news reports from Australia to the US. The young opener has even found himself in a story posted by Australia's F1 driver, Oscar Piastri, on Insta. Such has been his impact.