Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s historic Indian Premier League debut for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Saturday made the world stand up and take notice.

At just 14 years and 23 days old, Vaibhav became the youngest player in IPL history when he came out to open the batting for RR with Yashasvi Jaiswal in place of the injured Sanju Samson.

What unfolded next felt straight out of a blockbuster script - so much so that even Google CEO Sundar Pichai took notice and tweeted, as the world watched in awe.

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi kicked off his IPL career with a massive six over cover off India international Shardul Thakur, sending the capacity crowd present at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on the night into a frenzy.

“Woke up to watch an 8th grader play in the IPL!!!! What a debut!” Pichai wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The teenager went on to score a credible 34 off just 20 balls, punctuated with three epic sixes and two boundaries, before he was stumped by Rishabh Pant off an Aiden Markram delivery.

Though Vaibhav’s time on the crease was short and crisp, his brand of fearless cricket and immense talent had already caught the cricketing world’s attention.

English cricketer Sam Billings even ended up comparing the teen with a prime Yuvraj Singh because of his power hitting capabilities.

Former Australian cricketer and World Cup winner Damien Fleming, famed for his death over bowling, was also in awe of Vaibhav’s brilliant hitting.

Former Indian player Shreevats Goswami, who saw his record for the youngest player to score a half-century on IPL debut survive on the night, also heaped praise on the Royals batter.

Perhaps in what was one of the most touching moments in IPL, Vaibhav was visibly distraught after getting out and had tears in his eyes while walking back, even after giving a good account of himself in his first outing in Royals’ colours.

The emotional footage struck a chord with fans and pundits alike.

Despite Vaibhav’s fearless knock, the Royals, unfortunately, fell short by just two runs to lose the match. However, the teenager announcing himself on the big stage with a bang bodes well for the Royals’ future.

“It was important to give Vaibhav the opportunity when the right moment presented itself and I think today was the day. He was batting well in the nets and we missed Sanju in this match. So, the opportunity arose and he grabbed it with both hands,” Sairaj Bahutule, the Rajasthan Royals spin bowling coach, said after the match.

“Vaibhav is a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. He almost has a 360-degree game. He is courageous, brave and always wants to dominate. He doesn’t care much for who is bowling to him. His philosophy is see the ball and hit the ball,” Bahutule added.

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