By Sandeep Heble
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored the second-fastest century in IPL history, is India’s newest young sensation.
While following media coverage and match commentary, I noticed the repeated projection of the young prodigy from Bihar as a “14-year-old sensation.” In a country like India, where age fudging in sports is rampant and well-known, such constant references aren’t just lazy storytelling—they end up legitimizing a damaging practice. The media does this to create their own sensational stories and hype, which is ultimately destructive.
Players from certain states have openly admitted to reducing their age by 2–4 years just to compete, often at the behest of coaches. In fact, in a 2023 video, Vaibhav himself mentioned turning 14 that year on September 27 (you can see that interview here: https://youtu.be/sFIBWZlUijA)—indicating that he is now 16. Yet, his IPL profile mysteriously lists a different birth year, and his date of birth changes from September to March, effectively lowering his age by two years.
Vaibhav is a fantastic talent—his strokeplay is reminiscent of Sehwag or Jayasuriya. But let’s focus on his cricket and not keep harping on him being 14 years old. When older children play in younger age categories, it actually restricts their own growth as players. This is one of the reasons India struggles in many sports disciplines—players entering their peak years end up stalling their development by competing in lower categories. By the time they transition to the senior level, they have already lost valuable years of growth and experience.
Fortunately, Vaibhav has been picked by Rajasthan Royals and fast-tracked to the highest level, showing great promise for the future. Let’s celebrate his talent without contributing to the prevailing culture of age fudging in Indian sports.
Whether he is 14 or 16 is irrelevant—what matters is how we nurture such talent the right way. Rajasthan Royals have shown the way by identifying this prodigy, backing his potential, and giving him the wings to soar. India’s sporting system must adopt a similar mindset—if talent is evident, nurture it honestly and responsibly, instead of chasing short-term gains that ultimately undermine the athlete’s long-term potential.
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