Teenage RR opener Suryavanshi’s childhood coach Brajesh Jha is confident his ward will excel in ODIs as well as Tests in next couple of years
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (right) with his first coach Brajesh Jha
Rajasthan Royals’s wonder boy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, made the world sit up and take notice with his flamboyant 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur on Monday, but his Samastipur-based childhood coach Brajesh Jha, believes he isn’t quite satisfied just yet. He believes his ward’s best innings is yet to come.
Second fastest IPL ton
RR opener Suryavanshi became IPL’s youngest ever and fastest Indian centurion during his 38-ball 101, laced with seven fours and 11 huge sixes. His 35-ball 100 was the second fastest in IPL history, behind West Indies’s Chris Gayle (30 balls). Previously, Suryavanshi had made his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants by dispatching India pacer Shardul Thakur for a six off the very first ball he faced en route a 20-ball 34.
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Coach Jha recalled his first impressions of Suryvanshi as a kid. “Vaibhav began coaching under me when he was just five. He began calling me uncle and that has continued till date. My first impression about him was that his grasping power was brilliant. Whatever I would instruct him about his batting technique or drills, he would pick it up immediately. He has had a very easy batting flow right from his childhood. He was always fearless and that’s the reason I started playing him against U-20 boys in the nets when he was just eight. And he was never injured even once,” Jha told mid-day over the phone from Bihar.
Interestingly, while Suryavanshi is very aggressive in his batting, off the field he’s a very shy boy, revealed Jha. “Vaibhav speaks very little and has very few friends. He is extremely shy by nature,” added Jha.
While everyone is still mesmerised by Suryavanshi’s stunning 100 on Monday, Jha went a step ahead and predicted what he expects from his ward hereafter.
“Yesterday [Monday], the world saw Vaibhav’s attacking batting, but this is just a start. His best game is yet to come. There is a lot more to see about his batting which for me is sureela [melodious]. And like his icon, West Indies great Brian Lara, who is well known for his stylish big knocks, I’m confident that Vaibhav will not just be classy, but he will go ahead and succeed in all formats of the game. The world will see a lot more of his ability when goes on to play 50-over and eventually Test formats too. I predict that he will succeed in all formats within the next couple of years,” added Jha, 42, who credited RR head coach Rahul Dravid for mentoring Suryavanshi well.
‘Didn’t expect such a knock’
“Honestly, I did not expect him to get a chance in his very first IPL, so let alone expecting such a big knock so early in his career. But he has matured nicely as he practises with the big RR players and under the guidance of top-level coaches. Vaibhav has immensely benefited from former India coach Rahul Dravid, who is currently mentoring him at RR. It’s my dream to see Vaibhav wearing the India jersey and come visit our Patel Maidan here at the Samastipur Cricket Academy and meet us,” Jha signed off.
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