Vaibhav Suryavanshi was banned from eating two foods before century aged 14

Cricket starlet Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach banned him from eating two foods to prevent him from putting on weight. The 14-year-old reached another remarkable milestone this week by scoring the fastest century of any Indian player in the IPL.

Suryavanshi’s ton came in just 35 balls as he spearheaded Rajasthan Royals’ chase of Gujarat Titans’ total of 209 on Monday. They completed the victory with 25 balls to spare, largely thanks to the exploits of the teenage sensation. Suryavanshi was eventually dismissed after scoring a total of 101 runs off 38 balls, but it is the latest incredible moment of his young career. Among his total were 11 sixes and seven fours.

To get into peak condition to battle against some of cricket’s best players, Suryavanshi follows a strict diet. His childhood coach, Manoj Ojha, removed mutton and pizza from his diet to prevent the youngster putting on extra weight.

“He’s not allowed to eat mutton. I removed pizza from his diet chart,” Ojha told The Times of India. “He is just fond of chicken and mutton. He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn’t eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it. That’s why he looks a bit chubby.

“He’s a fearless batter. He has said time and again that he admires Brian Lara. But he’s a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is just like Yuvraj’s.”

Suryavanshi announced his arrival in the IPL by hitting a stunning six off India star Shardul Thakur earlier this month, before he hit a similar shot from a ball delivered by the experienced international Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

He is said to have landed a mega £105,000 contract with the Royals when he was picked during the draft last year, while he was still only 13 years old.

Speaking after scoring his century last week, Suryavanshi said: “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 [Yashasvi] 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.”