Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been one of the best emerging talents for India. The 14-year-old explosive opening batsman has been brilliant since his debut for Rajasthan Royals in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) and showcased his excellence in the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup as India defeated England to lift the trophy for the sixth time.
Everyone is impressed by the talent of the young opener. Former England captain Jos Buttler has praised the southpaw. Speaking on the Love for Cricket podcast, Buttler called him the best player and is amazed with the way he is batting at the age of 14 and sees a bright future in the coming years.
Jos Buttler is greatly influenced by Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Jos Buttler said of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, “My statement is that he is the best player I have ever seen, because I feel like who else was doing that at the age of 14?” Butler said. “If he’s doing this at 14, what will he do at 16, 18, 20?”
England fast bowler Mark Wood, who joined Buttler on the podcast, acknowledged that the comments made by Jos Buttler were bold, replying, “That’s a huge statement from you.” He then asked whether Suryavanshi could become a full-fledged superstar for India or would she derail the initial expectations.
However, Jos Buttler endorsed the young player’s potential. He also told that Suryavanshi has already performed on big stages like IPL and Under-19 World Cup final. “I don’t understand how he can’t do that. He has already played… he has scored a century in the IPL. He hit a six on his very first ball in the IPL,” Buttler said.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a game-changer
Vaibhav Suryavanshi had performed brilliantly against the Three Lions in the Under-19 World Cup final. He scored 175 runs in 80 balls against them in the final and when he was batting, India’s projected score was looking over 500. The left-handed opening batsman hit 15 fours and as many sixes in his explosive innings and snatched the match from England in the final.
He earned Player of the Tournament and Player of the Match awards for his outstanding performances in the final and throughout the tournament. The Bihar-born cricketer finished the tournament with 439 runs at an average of almost 62.7 and a strike rate of 169.49, which also included three fifties and a century.
Vaibhav made a record in IPL
Vaibhav created history in the IPL 2025 auction by becoming the youngest player to sign an IPL contract at the age of 13. Vaibhav Suryavanshi holds the record of being the youngest player to score a century in IPL. He achieved this feat against Jos Buttler’s franchise Gujarat Titans, so Buttler has seen that explosive innings of 101 runs on just 38 balls very closely.
He will definitely be one of the players to keep an eye on in the upcoming IPL season as well. The young batsman also became the youngest ever to score a century in men’s T20 cricket and registered the second-fastest century of the IPL so far, which was completed in just 35 balls.
Also read: Will Vaibhav Suryavanshi replace Rohit Sharma for the 2027 World Cup? India makes great demands
