Vaibhav Suryavanshi (BCCI/IPL Photo)
Manish Ojha, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach, describes his winger as A “Child of God” He credits fate and divine guidance with bringing the young man to his academy.“Two years ago, I thanked Vaibhav’s father (Sanjeev Suryavanshi) for bringing the baby to me.
Ispe bhagwaan ka haath hai (He is the Son of God). Because of him I got recognition, otherwise who gives two cents for a cricket coach in Bihar?” “I’m going to win,” an emotional Manish tells TimesofIndia.com after the 15-year-old received his maiden India call-up for the Ireland-England series.
“Sab Bhagwaan ki kripa hai (God has been kind). The kid is very talented and worked hard. Thanks to his father as well,” He says.In an exciting IPL 2026 campaign, the 15-year-old from Bihar will now don the blue jersey.
“When we talk about Bihar, we always talk about our past, from the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire, Buddhism, Jainism, Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Yatra or the JP movement. In modern times, this has often been in the news for all things disreputable. Not only is this teenager hitting sixes, he is also smashing those stigmas associated with Bihar out of the park.
Imagine Sachin Tendulkar calling him “really special” or Virat Kohli telling Vaibhav, “Ek bihari, sab bi bhari, game veer khatam.”
“What Vaibhav has been able to achieve in the last few months is extraordinary.” Ajha says.Sooryavanshi smashed 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30. He also hit a record 72 sixes during a season that saw him narrowly short of the fastest century in IPL history.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been awarded the Orange Cap in IPL 2026. (BCCI/IPL Photo)
“He’s a big-game player. We saw that in the IPL qualifiers.
In the U-19 World Cup final, he again played a scintillating knock. It’s a great call by the selectors to select him. And this is just the beginning. will achieve a lot,” Ajha says.Oga says his ward is A “Fast learner”. According to him, being prepared before every match helps Sooryavanshi play his aggressive brand of cricket and take on the best bowlers without fear.“He prepares in his own way. This does not mean that he sits with the video analysts, but he does his homework,” Ajha says.This conscientious approach and unwavering temperament led to the selectors naming the explosive Sooryavanshi in the squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England.
Not only did Sooryavanshi catch the attention of greats like Tendulkar and Kohli, but India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill was also heaping praise on the teenager. In an almost solo effort, Sooryavanshi almost dragged Rajasthan Royals to the IPL 2026 final.
In Eliminator, he smashed a 29-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and then followed it up with a 47-ball 96 against Gill’s Gujarat Titans.“I think he had a great season. I’ve never seen anyone bat the way he does, and like that, he’s probably one of the best batsmen in the world right now.” Gill said after Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur.“His hitting is remarkable to watch, not just the hitting but also the biomechanics and hand speed.
He didn’t get down to a flyer in Qualifier 2, but the way he was able to get back into the game and keep putting pressure on us tells you what mentality he has. I think in the coming years, the opponent he plays against will have a tough time against him.” Jill said.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Image source: BCCI/IPL)
But with all praise comes responsibility and scrutiny. Questions have already been raised about whether he can succeed in Test cricket. Even his father set lofty goals for his son.
Do you think Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the next big star in Indian cricket?
“Jab tak Test na khele, kya bada cricketer (till the time he is not playing Tests, I will not consider him a great cricketer),” Sanjeev told this website after Suryavanshi’s heroics in the Under-19 World Cup.However, for now, the focus is on the next step of a journey that is moving at a dizzying pace. From a small town in Bihar to stardom in the Indian Premier League, and now being called up to the Indian national team at just 15 years old, Sooryavanshi has already shattered expectations. The challenge ahead is to turn extraordinary promise into lasting greatness, but if we are to believe his coach, this is just the beginning of a much bigger story.
