- For the ordinary Indian citizens, or for that matter, the majority of Indians, cricket, alongside politics and entertainment, is the standout passion keeping them animated, enthusiastic, and hugely opinionated on the same in no small measure. The passion with which cricket drives the nation is evident in the maddening following, deeper penetration, and constant craving for the sport across the vast expanse of the Indian landscape; it needs no further elaboration. So much so that every Indian assumes the mantle of a connoisseur, expert, and statistician, dishing out whatever information one may desire instantly. Little wonder that cricketers in India are placedon a pedestal, enjoying the attention usually reserved for a celebrity/public personality.
PC: NDTV Sports
- The reason for cricket to gain such wider acceptance and adulation stems from some of the fantastic cricketers who have emerged to not only entertain the local following but also across the cricket-playing world with admirable exploits. We have had innumerable talented cricketers emerge from the Indian domestic stable. None is more popular and much-loved than Sachin Tendulkar, widely considered as one of the greatest cricketers to have played the game itself. As cricket enthusiasts would vouch, yet another boy-wonder, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is creating ripples across the cricketing fraternity by his explosive exploits in the cash-rich, lucrative, and extremely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament. Wow! What a talent!
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- Mind you, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (March 2011) is hardly 15 years old, who has already played for Bihar in domestic cricket and is now playing for the Rajasthan Royals. As a left-handed batsman, he made his first-class debut in January 2024. He is the youngest Indian List A debutant and the youngest to debut in the IPL at the age of 13 years. Vaibhav also holds the record of being the youngest player to score a century in the IPL, at 14 years and 32 days old, while scoring 101 of 38 balls in a match against the Gujarat Titans on 28th April 2025. The most notable aspects of his batting are the fearless approach right at the top of the innings. More often than not, he launches the very first delivery out of the park, irrespective of the reputation of the opposition bowler.
PC: Outlook India
- Most astonishingly, the power, the dare-devilry, and the nonchalant manner with which Vaibhav goes about dismantling the bowlers is a treat to watch. The ease with which he clears the boundary ropes showcases immense talent that needs to be nurtured carefully without leading to the dreaded burnout. For now, the mesmerizing talent has garnered tremendous attention amid growing talk of blooding the teenage sensation into Team India’s T20 setup. Will the selectors oblige by heeding the clamour to introduce the precociously talented batter into the hurly-burly of international cricket? Going by the look of things and the way the batter is knocking on the doors, it’s just a matter of time before the selectors draft him into the senior team.
