Former Australia captain Steve Waugh is not a religious follower of the IPL. But when a precocious talent like Vaibhav Suryavanshi bursts onto the scene, even the legendary Aussie batter cannot help but sit up and take note.
Waugh expressed disbelief over seeing the 14-year-old’s impeccable timing and striking for the Rajasthan Royals this IPL edition, but stressed that the dashing southpaw will bear the challenge of keeping all that prodigious talent under “control” over the forthcoming years.
If batting at 14 in the IPL wasn’t enough, Suryavanshi rewrote the record books when he walloped a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, the fastest hundred by an Indian in the league’s history.
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“I watched that century and I just couldn’t believe how well he struck the ball and how easy he was hitting the sixes and how relaxed he was,” Waugh said in a media interaction alongside Anil Kumble, Matthew Hayden and Robin Uthappa on ‘Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26′ organised by JioStar, Cricket Australia and the Australian Government.
“As a 14-year-old, he had no concept of pressure…just play with complete freedom, so that was great to watch. I guess for him the challenge will be to keep it under control,” he added.
“Can he play the same way with the same enthusiasm, the same freedom as he has done this year? That’ll be his challenge,” he added.
“He’s got a lot of skill, he’s mentally tough and he’s got a great backstory, so you want to see someone like that be successful. It’s a great story for cricket and for me watching from a long way away,” Waugh said referring to the well-documented accounts of his parents’ sacrifices to ensure his success.
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No Tendulkar comparisons
Waugh also cautioned against the inevitable obsession to draw teenage sensations to India’s legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who debuted in Tests at 16 in 1989.
“I don’t think you can compare anyone to Sachin Tendulkar. I mean, a 16-year-old (18-year-old) coming out to Australia and scoring a century in Perth on the hardest, (the) most unique pitch in world cricket where most players really struggle to play on a pitch,” Waugh said.
“…for him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It’s very rare you get a Sachin Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable,” Waugh added.
– With PTI inputs
