Suresh Raina calls for Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s T20I debut after record-breaking IPL rise

Suresh Raina praises 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s fearless batting and urges selectors to hand him a T20I debut after his stunning IPL and U-19 feats.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Image Credit: IPL)

Indian cricket has often been defined by young talents who dared to play without fear, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the latest name to carry that reputation forward. The 14-year-old batter from Bihar has already shaken the cricketing world with record-breaking feats in the IPL and India’s youth circuit. Now, former India star Suresh Raina has openly backed him for a place in the senior national T20I side.

Raina, speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, praised the teenager’s “fearless approach” and insisted that such rare talents should not be held back for too long. "Vaibhav Suryavanshi. His fearless approach is different. Mhatre is also good, but Vaibhav has X-factor; such talents are rare. He recently scored a ton in England and scored a century in the IPL. It shows this player from Bihar proves – ek Bihari sab pe bhari (One from Bihar is heavier than all)… Nobody knew Samastipur… A player from a village showed his potential," said Raina.

The teenager’s breakout moment came during IPL 2025, where he became the youngest player ever to score a century in the league. Representing Chennai Super Kings, Suryavanshi smashed a jaw-dropping 101 off 38 deliveries against Gujarat Titans. His hundred came in just 35 balls, making it the fastest by an Indian in IPL history and the second-fastest overall.

Across the season, he accumulated 252 runs at a strike rate of over 200, earning the “Super Striker of the Season” award. For a player barely in his teens, these numbers were extraordinary and placed him immediately in conversations about India’s T20 future.

Suryavanshi’s rise has not been limited to franchise cricket. On India’s U-19 tour of England, he dominated the opposition bowling, scoring 355 runs in the ODI series. His knock of 143 off 78 balls was the highlight, followed by a blistering 86 off just 31 deliveries in another game. He ended as the leading run-scorer of the series and impressed coaches with his shot selection, confidence, and ability to accelerate at will.

For Raina, who himself was once India’s youngest T20I captain, Suryavanshi’s story resonates strongly. He believes that the selectors should fast-track him, just as the likes of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh were trusted at a young age.

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With India constantly looking to refresh their T20I squad, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s blend of flair, power, and temperament makes him a serious contender. If his current trajectory continues, the teenager could soon be wearing national colours and carrying forward the fearless brand of cricket that legends like Raina have long championed.

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