Former Rajasthan Royals teammates Sanju Samson and Ravichandran Ashwin have found common ground in their admiration for 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, whose explosive batting and remarkable composure lit up the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Speaking on Ashwin’s Kutti Stories podcast on YouTube, the two discussed how amazed they were by the youngster’s ability to hit the ball so forcefully against some of the world’s top bowlers. Suryavanshi announced himself in the most competitive T20 league in the world, bypassing the stage where most cricketers at that age are still learning the game.
“Yeah, I saw him hit one for a six. I was thinking that the little guy got lucky, but it kept on going. The quality of the shots also really shocked me,” Samson admitted.
Ashwin was equally impressed by Suryavanshi’s game awareness as well as his clean striking. He recounted an instance from the IPL where he attempted to outsmart the teenager by changing pace, but was outthought in return.
“It’s not so much about his hitting. I bowled one ball from around the stumps. He hit that to the covers, and then I bowled it slow to see if he would go big. But he just waited for the ball and just screamed towards mid-on for a single. I was thinking, what the hell, where did this kid come from, and he’s 14 years old. I made my debut 18 years ago in the IPL,” Ashwin said.
Suryavanshi has continued to excel while playing for India U-19 during their tour to England since his breakthrough IPL season. He scored an incredible 143 against the England Under-19 team in a Youth ODI at Worcester, which was his most standout moment. During the same tour, he also showed off his all-around skills by taking a few wickets in a Youth Test, highlighting his potential as one of India’s most promising youngsters.
