Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been warned he could be axed by Rajasthan Royals if he gets distracted by the attention around the whirlwind start to his Indian Premier League career. The 14-year-old has burst onto the scene in the IPL and became the youngest player ever to hit a century in men’s T20 cricket on Monday night.
Suryavanshi was in breathtaking form at the start of the week as the Royals hunted down Gujarat Titans’ lead, with the young star hitting seven fours and 11 sixes before eventually being bowled for 101 from 38 balls. It was the second-fastest century of all time in the IPL and the fastest of all time from an Indian player.
Suryavanshi, who only celebrated his 14th birthday in March, is likely to be on cloud nine following his endeavours against the Titans after becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the IPL when he made his debut in April.
But he has now been issued with a stark warning by former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who wants to see the teenager knuckling down in the coming weeks.
“I have seen many players who come, get fame from one or two matches, then they do not do anything because they think that they have become a star player,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“Look at Virat Kohli. He started at 19 and has now played all 18 IPL seasons. That’s what Vaibhav should aim for. But if he thinks he’s made it just because he hit a six off his first ball and earned a crore, he might not be around next season.”
The Royals snapped up Suryavanshi for £103,789 at last year’s mega auction after winning a bidding war with the Delhi Capitals.
He made his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants on April 19 as he opened the batting for his team alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and proceeded to hit a six off his first ball.
And after hitting his century against the Titans, he exclaimed: “It is a very good feeling. It’s my first hundred in the IPL and it’s my third innings.
“The result has shown here after the practice before the tournament. I just see the ball and play.
“Batting with Jaiswal is good, he tells me what to do and he infuses positive things. It has been a dream to get a 100 in the IPL and today it materialised. There is no fear. I don’t think much, I just focus on playing.”
Suryavanshi will have his next taste of IPL action when the Royals take on Mumbai Indians on Thursday evening. His team then face Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk