Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach believes he is ready for international exposure and should make his debut in T20Is

Only three 14-year-olds have made their debut in international cricket thus far: Hasan Raza of Pakistan in 1996, Meet Bhavsar of Kuwait in 2019, and George Sesay of Sierra Leone in 2021. Vaibhav Suryavanshi's childhood coach, Manish Ojha, thinks India is prepared for a 14-year-old rookie.

He thinks the pressure that comes with it won't overwhelm him. In 2025, the cricket community was enthralled with the Bihar batter. Despite being only 14 years old, he has already scored runs against bowlers with far more experience.

Speaking to IndiaToday.in, the coach backed Vaibhav for an early international debut, especially in the T20 format. “In my opinion, he’s absolutely ready, at least for the Indian T20 team,” Manish said after Vaibhav scored 171 against the UAE in a U19 World Cup match in Dubai. He highlighted the level of competition Vaibhav has already faced, saying, “Look at the IPL — most bowlers he faced were international bowlers, and the rest were top domestic bowlers. He was executing his shots beautifully against them.”

Manish believes delaying the opportunity is not necessary, given his brilliant form. “It’s up to the BCCI to decide, but in my view, he’s ready for T20Is and even ODIs. Given the way he’s playing, he should be given a chance sooner rather than later. It would be a record for India and a huge encouragement for a young player,” Manish said.

Earlier this year, 14-year-old Suryavanshi stole the show with his outstanding performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He became the youngest batsman to strike a century in the tournament's history while playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Suryavanshi was the IPL 2025 star, scoring 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55 in seven games. The left-handed batsman recently scored a century (171) in the U19 Asia Cup 2025 opening match against the United Arab Emirates. With his knock, he surpassed Ambati Rayudu (177) as the Indian hitter with the second-highest total in Youth ODIs.

Vaibhav is now concentrating on the U19 Asia Cup, but an India call-up does not seem far off. He will play for the Indian team headed by Ayush Mhatre in the U19 World Cup early next year before returning to the Rajasthan Royals for the IPL.

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