India’s latest cricket sensation found himself at the centre of an age row before making IPL history with a stunning century for the Rajasthan Royals. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is just 14 years old, became the youngest player to record a three-figure knock in T20 cricket on Monday evening. He reached his century in 35 balls, hitting 11 sixes and seven fours.
Suryavanshi was eventually bowled for 101 from 38 balls as the Royals surged to an eight-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans. It was the second-fastest century in IPL history and the fastest by an Indian player. Just weeks ago, Suryavanshi became the youngest player to feature in the IPL and made an immediate splash by hitting his first ball for six.
He is making headlines around the world, given that he is so much younger than his peers, but there has been some confusion surrounding his real age. Suryavanshi’s official date of birth is March 27, 2011, meaning that he is 14 years and 32 days old.
However, while speaking to BNN News two years ago, he said that he would turn 14 on September 27, 2023. This would make him around a year and a half older than his official age.
His father, Sanjiv Suryavanshi, was quick to quash the rumours about his son’s real age and said that he was ready to undergo an age test should it be required.
“When he was eight-and-a-half-years old, he first appeared for a BCCI bone test,” Sanjiv told PTI. “He has already played [for] India under-19s. We don’t fear anyone. He can again undergo an age test.
“My son has worked hard. At the age of eight years, he excelled at under-16 district trials. I would take him for his cricket coaching to Samastipur and then take him back.”
It will be interesting to see where Suryavanshi will go from here, having already established himself as one of the hottest properties in cricket. He was picked up by the Royals at last year’s IPL auction for a fee of £103,789.
The teenage superstar raised eyebrows last October when he scored a 58-ball century for India under-19s against Australia. He was also part of India’s squad for the under-19 Asia Cup squad last year, scoring 176 runs at an average of 44.
Suryavanshi also plays first-class cricket for Bihar, the state in eastern India where he grew up, and made his debut aged 12 last January. Since his introduction, he has scored a total of 100 runs with a highest score of 41.