With the T20 World Cup just two months away, the BCCI has received a request from Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach. Manish Ojha, who guided Suryavanshi in his early years, says the teenage protégé is prepared for international cricket and has urged the selectors to consider the 14-year-old in India’s T20I set-up.
Ojha’s suggestion comes three days after Suryavanshi blasted 171 against the UAE in the ongoing Under-19 Asia Cup. This is the youngster’s sixth century in 2025 alone.
Suryavanshi became a household name earlier this year during the Indian Premier League, when he bludgeoned his way to a hundred for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest ever to smash an IPL century. From there, he went on to score centuries against England, Australia, twice against the UAE and once for Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Despite not having tasted the rigours of domestic cricket or an Under-19 World Cup, Ojha reckons Suryavanshi is well-equipped to handle the madness of T20 cricket.
“In my opinion, he’s absolutely ready, at least for the Indian T20 team. Look at the IPL – most bowlers he faced were international bowlers, and the rest were top domestic bowlers. He was executing his shots beautifully against them. It’s up to the BCCI to decide, but in my view, he’s ready for T20Is and even ODIs. Given the way he’s playing, he should be given a chance sooner rather than later. It would be a record for India and a huge encouragement for a young player,” Ojha told India Today.
“He’ll handle it easily. He was part of the Rising Stars Asia Cup, and even there, he stood out. He played with some established India stars in the team led by Jitesh Sharma, but didn’t he stand out?” Manish added.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi in red-hot nick
Since his record-breaking outing for RR, Suryavanshi has gained considerable exposure, playing white-ball matches in England and even a red-ball game in Australia. Besides, Suryavanshi linked up with the India A team in the Emerging Asia Cup, where he excelled again. While racking up six centuries, Suryavanshi has shattered several impressive records along the way, including the fastest century in Youth ODIs and the joint-third fastest century in men’s T20s for India.
During the 171-run knock against the UAE, he smashed the world record for hitting the most sixes in a single innings in a Youth ODI. His knock had 14 sixes, two more than the previous record holder, Australia’s Michael Hill (vs Namibia in 2008). He also became the first player in the history of the game to have more than 50 Youth ODI sixes in their career. With 108 not out against Maharashtra, Suryavanshi became the youngest ever batter to score a ton in SMAT history.
International cricket is a whole different beast altogether, but Ojha is supremely confident about Suryavanshi’s prospects.
“In the IPL, he played in front of massive crowds, as loud and intense as any India match. But he played normally, stuck to his game, and didn’t show hesitation, nervousness or anxiety. He was completely calm. I’m 100 per cent sure he’ll handle the pressure at the international level as well,” the coach added.