Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja feel Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s historic innings will change the way youngsters in India dream about their cricketing journey.
The 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals batsman became the youngest centurion in the Indian Premier League after he scored a sensational hundred against the Gujarat Titans, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday (April 28).
Mindset over technique
Speaking to official IPL streaming partner JioHotstar, the former cricketer said: “I don’t have the vocabulary to fully explain the emotions I’m feeling. I’ll try to put it this way: Every one of us who played cricket dreamt of moments like this in our drawing rooms or local grounds.
“At 14 or 15, we all dreamt differently, but this is what you dream about — to go out and live it in the IPL against players with such experience and talent,” he said.
What impressed Jadeja the most about Suryavanshi’s innings was not just the explosive shots or the big sixes but the 14-year-old’s mindset.
“It’s not just the technique or the bowling attacks he faced — it’s the mindset that stands out. The belief to carry on even after the high of that over, the ability to stay in the moment, to keep flowing without hesitation — that’s what truly blows me away.
“Physical skills can be found, but for a 14-year-old to believe in himself like this is extraordinary. Even if someone says it was just his lucky day, what he has shown is something else,” Jadeja added.
Jadeja added by saying, “Some shots he played — you have to first dream of them before you can execute them. For a 14-year-old to think like that is unbelievable. Go back to the first ball he faced three matches ago against Shardul Thakur — he showed then that he belonged.
“When he got out after scoring 30 that day (on debut against the Lucknow Super Giants), he was visibly emotional, almost in tears, but within minutes, he was smiling again in the dugout.”
Parallels with MS Dhoni
Jadjea went on to compare Suryavanshi announcing himself to the cricketing world with yet another debut from two decades ago.
“I’m not directly comparing it, but just like MS Dhoni’s arrival changed belief among kids from smaller towns, this moment could change how every 14–15-year-old across India imagines their journey. Cricket in India won’t be the same again,” he said.
The 14-year-old left handed opener shattered records during his sensational knock of 101 (38) as he became the youngest centurion in the history of the IPL.
His century is also the second-fastest in IPL as RR chased down GT’s target of 210 in just 15.5 overs.
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