Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer revealed an old incident when he saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi for the first time. Suryavanshi had a phenomenal IPL 2026 season, which earned him his maiden national call-up as well.
Wasim Jaffer recalled Vaibhav Suryavanshi playing against his team while he was the batting coach for Bangladesh U19 in 2024. He was surprised at a 13-year-old playing in the U19 team. The former batter added that Suryavanshi would always stay in touch with him even after that tournament. He expressed his happiness about the left-hander’s growth and his journey so far.
“I was the batting coach of the U19 Bangladesh Team, and there were two teams from India and one from England. It was a quadrangular series, and Vaibhav was there as well. He was 13 at that time. First of all, it was surprising for me that a 13-year-old was selected in an U19 team. I met him for the first time there, in Vijayawada. He knew me and wanted to talk to me. I told him to take my number and call me whenever he wanted to,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“Eventually, he was not selected for the Asia Cup and World Cup, I am talking about 2024. He stayed in touch and would call me. We met also quiet a few times. It has been wonderful to watch his growth. I am saying it again, this IPL will be remembered for Vaibhav Suryavanshi,” he added.
The 15-year-old won the Orange Cap in IPL 2026. He smashed 776 runs from 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30 with a hundred and five half-centuries.
Wasim Jaffer lauds Vaibhav Suryavanshi for development in his game
Wasim Jaffer also revealed that Vaibhav Suryavanshi was technically sound even at the age of 13, when he first saw him during the U19 series. He recalled that Suryavanshi would not hit a lot of sixes back then but played according to the format and with good technique.
Jaffer added that he has seen a lot of improvement and that the teen prodigy has evolved his game, taking it to a higher level than what it was as a 13-year-old.
“He was technically good back then too. He was not hitting sixes like he is now, but still hit a few. What I liked was that his technique was good, and it was a 50-over tournament, so he was playing accordingly. He has evolved his game a lot now. It is a sign that he is learning and that growth is seen,” he said.
“He is thinking about his game and developing. He is not sitting back on his laurels. You need this quality when you are going to play international cricket. He has improved 10 times from what I saw back then. He has come a long way,” he added.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been included in India’s T20I squads for the upcoming series against Ireland and England. He could therefore be set to make his international debut soon. The star batter is currently with the India A side in the ongoing Tri-Nation A series in Sri Lanka.
Edited by Rishab Vm