'Why hit a single when you can hit six?' - the making of a teen IPL star

Why hit a single when you can hit the ball for a six?

That was the very question posed by 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to one of his first coaches in professional cricket.

"Vaibhav was hitting sixes and fours off almost every ball," recalls Manish Ojha, a former first-class cricketer for Jharkhand.

"After the session, I said: 'Vaibhav, why are you only hitting boundaries? The state matches are a four-day format and we will need you to take more singles.' He replied: 'Sir, if I can hit a ball for six, why would I take a single off it?' That's when I realised he was ready for the next level."

That six-hitting lit up the most glamourous of cricketing stages on Monday when the teenager became the youngest player to score a century in men's T20 cricket.

Batting for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, he took down some of the world's best bowlers in a scintillating 38-ball innings that included 11 sixes and seven fours.

Experienced international bowlers Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan were treated with the same disdain as those unlucky 12-year-olds who netted with Suryavanshi a couple of years earlier.

Vaibhav's entry to the IPL has been dramatic. He started his career with a six off the first ball he faced and went on to score a hundred in just his third appearance.

Born in Samastipur, a small district in India's Bihar, he quickly showed promise. Vaibhav's father, Sanjeev Suryavanshi, himself a club-level cricketer, saw a spark in his son. But there were no proper academies around the district, so he started his training at home from the age of five.

Sanjeev, who used to run a small shop, began to realise his son needed a proper coach. So when Vaibhav turned eight, his father decided to take him to Patna city, a three-hour journey away.

"Many people would tell him: 'What are you doing?' But he was the first person to believe in Vaibhav's abilities," said Robin Singh, a coach from Bihar.

"To ensure his son trained well and got to use the best facilities, his father had to sell a plot of land. His mother had to make a lot of sacrifices too. She would wake up at three in the morning to prepare breakfast for him and would even send food for the coaches."

Vaibhav impressed his new coaches in no time.

"When I started working with him, I found him quite different from others. You would give him a demo of a technique or a shot, and he would pick it up in no time," Ojha said.

"Most of the players adopt things easily in practice, but when it comes to playing matches, they fail. But the unique feature about Vaibhav was that he would execute things perfectly even during high-pressure matches."

Vaibhav was always ahead of his age group. From his strokeplay to game awareness, he would stand out.

"Within 10 days of playing alongside the kids of his age, we realised we were wasting his time. So, we started making him practise with senior players," Singh recalled.

Vaibhav would practise daily from 7.30am to 4pm, facing 450 balls each day. By the time he was 12, his coaches were confident enough to let him pursue cricket professionally.

He played for the Bihar under-19s team and amassed consistent runs, prompting selectors to name him in the India Under-19s team. Aged just 13, he smashed a 58-ball hundred in a youth Test against Australia.

He was soon drafted into Bihar's squad for the Ranji Trophy (India's premier first-class tournament) before becoming the youngest player to get a contract at the IPL auction as Rajasthan signed him for £103,789 (1.1 crore rupees) in December 2024.

"Vaibhav's role model is Brian Lara, so his game is aggressive, and he plays the ball on merit without any fear at all," Ojha added.

"We expected him to get an IPL contract, and our joy doubled the moment Rajasthan Royals got him because they have [India legend] Rahul Dravid on their coaching staff."

Singh added: "When he became the youngest to debut in first-class cricket, I told him: 'Anyone can become the youngest. I'll be happy when you become the youngest centurion.' So yesterday he called me up after scoring the century and said: 'Sir, youngest centurion.' And I couldn't be prouder."

Suryavanshi has already been nicknamed Boss Baby in cricketing circles by those who see comparisons with Chris Gayle, aka The Universe Boss.

West Indian Gayle still holds the record for the fastest IPL century, having taken just 30 balls in 2013, but nobody else has scored one quicker in the competition, while he easily beat the record of 18 years and 118 days for the fastest T20 century which was previously held by Maharashtra's Vijay Zol.

Sachin Tendulkar - the greatest run-scorer of all time - made his India debut aged just 16, and Suryavanshi's former coach believe he will soon follow The Little Master into the national team.

"A guy from a small village in Bihar has made it to the IPL. The whole world is talking about him. So, he knows how to open doors. Don't be surprised if he makes it to international level soon," Singh said.

Before then, Suryavanshi, who has been gifted almost £9,000 by his state government following his IPL century, has his sights set on title-chasing Mumbai Indians on Thursday, where he comes face-to-face with Jasprit Bumrah, the world's best bowler.

Listen to live commentary on Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians on Thursday, live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website and app