Vaibhav Suryavanshi Backed For India’s T20I Team By Childhood Coach

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach has urged the BCCI to consider the 14-year-old for India’s T20I team after he hit six centuries in 2025.

With the T20 World Cup only two months away, the BCCI has been urged to consider teenage batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi for India’s T20I squad. His childhood coach, Manish Ojha, has highlighted the 14-year-old’s readiness for international cricket. The call comes three days after Suryavanshi hit 171 against the UAE in the ongoing Under-19 Asia Cup. This was his sixth century in 2025.

Suryavanshi came to national attention earlier in the season after becoming the youngest player to score an IPL hundred. He achieved this feat for the Rajasthan Royals against the Gujarat Titans. Suryavanshi later added centuries against England, Australia, the UAE on two occasions, and Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“In my opinion, he’s absolutely ready, at least for the Indian T20 team. 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. 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,” Ojha told India Today.

“He’ll handle it easily. He was part of the Rising Stars Asia Cup, and even there, he stood out. He played with some established India stars in the team led by Jitesh Sharma, but didn’t he stand out?” he continued.

“In the IPL, he played in front of massive crowds, as loud and intense as any India match. But he played normally, stuck to his game, and didn’t show hesitation, nervousness or anxiety. He was completely calm. I’m 100 per cent sure he’ll handle the pressure at the international level as well,” the coach added.

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Notably, Suryavanshi’s 171 against the UAE included 14 sixes, the most in a Youth ODI innings, surpassing Michael Hill’s 2008 mark. He also owns the fastest Youth ODI hundred, the joint-third fastest T20 century, over 50 Youth ODI sixes, and became the youngest to score a tournament ton with 108 not out.