"Best Player I've Ever Seen": IPL Legend Jos Buttler Left In Complete Awe Of 14-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Vaibhav Suryavanshi burst onto the scene in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season at the age of 14, slamming the fastest century by an Indian in the history of the tournament. Suryavanshi amassed 252 runs in just seven innings, at a ridiculous strike rate of 206. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Suryavanshi smashed a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans (GT) in only his third match. England star Jos Buttler - who was GT's wicket-keeper on that day - gave his thoughts on Suryavanshi, comparing him to legends like Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara.
"The innings against us, 35-ball hundred, was just outrageous. Our (GT) bowling consists of Mohammed Siraj, brilliant international bowler, Prasidh Krishna, international bowler, Rashid Khan, best T20 bowler there is. And he (Suryavanshi) hit big sixes," Buttler said, speaking on the 'For The Love Of Cricket' podcast alongside Stuart Broad.
"He played an innings against Chennai Super Kings a couple of matches later, I was watching on TV. CSK have seasoned pros like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, but Suryavanshi went bang! And then he knocked one out to cover, like 'I'm so in control, I'll just take one now'. At that moment, I thought this guy is the best player I've ever seen. I was so blown away," Buttler said.
Suryavanshi wowed one and all with his incredible IPL 2025 campaign. The left-hander smashed a six on the very first ball that he faced, clearing Shardul Thakur for a six over wide long-off.
Suryavanshi's game developed as the tournament went on, and he ended up slamming another half-century before the season concluded. Buttler, who has emerged as a modern-day IPL great himself, spoke about Suryavanshi's fearlessness and what he thought of his first-ball six.
"He actually hit his first ball for six in the IPL. He sort of gave himself a bit of room and smacked it over wide long off for a six. He had that fearlessness. There are so many brilliant players, they almost want to make a statement, as in 'look at me'," Buttler said.
"We have to try and ask him how long before that happened did you think 'I'm going to try and hit my first ball for six'. Because it was a premeditated shot. Hhe looked for it," Buttler stated.
"People have seen him with this amazing bat swing. Bit like, it's a huge statement, Yuvraj Singh or Brian Lara," Buttler added.
Following the IPL, Suryavanshi is set to tour England as part of the India Under-19 squad, which will be led by 17-year-old Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sensation Ayush Mhatre. The two nations will face off in a five-match Youth One-Day series, followed by two Multi-Day Test matches.
How Suryavanshi fares in England could provide an interesting subplot to the India-England Test series, starting from June 20.
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