Cricket in India won't be same again: Ajay Jadeja drops massive statement after Suryavanshi's blazing ton

New Delhi, April 29: Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja was in awe of Rajasthan Royals' 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's record-toppling century against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur and believes Indian cricket won't be the same after the teenager rewrote history with a performance for the ages.

The Pink City marvelled at the fireworks produced by the bat of a 14-year-old southpaw at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in a high-scoring run-fest against the Titans, which ended with an 8-wicket victory for the Royals. He blazed his way to the three-digit mark in a mere 35 deliveries, the fastest by an Indian in the cash-rich league's history and overall the second-quickest after 'Universal Boss' Chris Gayle's 30-ball ton against Pune Warriors in 2013.

One notable aspect of Suryavanshi's game was his ability to manoeuvre the ball away at such a young age. His technique enabled him to target different areas of the ground, generate power, and utilise the pace of the ball to dispatch it through the aerial route. With this approach, Suryavanshi cleared the boundary rope a staggering 11 times and hammered a whirlwind 101 from 38 deliveries.

"Some shots he played, you have to first dream of them before you can execute them. For a 14-year-old to think like that is unbelievable. Go back to the first ball he faced three matches ago against Shardul Thakur, and he showed then that he belonged. When he got out after scoring 30 that day, he was visibly emotional, almost in tears, but within minutes, he was smiling again in the dugout. The ability to overcome emotions at 14 is massive. His mindset is special. I'm not directly comparing it, but just like MS Dhoni's arrival changed belief among kids from smaller towns, this moment could change how every 14-15-year-old across India imagines their journey. Cricket in India won't be the same again," Jadeja said on JioHotstar.

At 14, Suryavanshi exhibited his knack for proving himself against the top stars during his blistering display against GT's experienced bowling unit. He began his onslaught by flaunting his boundary-hitting nerve against Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma, who share 141 Tests between them.

He continued to enchant the spectators by cutting through Rashid Khan's spin webs and eventually breaking the backbone of GT's hopes of defending their daunting target. The boy wonder, who hails from Bihar, made Jadeja wonder if he had laid his eyes on such a "fabulous" performance.

"I have never seen such a fabulous performance, and never could I have imagined the impact it would create. We had Sachin Tendulkar at 14 or 15, but he went through the grind -- Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy -- before playing for the country. Parthiv Patel once came in without first-class cricket experience and saved a Test match for India. But this is altogether different," he said.

"This is T20 cricket -- a fearless 14-year-old taking down 3-4 of the best bowlers around: Rashid Khan, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Chasing a target around 210, the very fact that he just kept going -- especially favoring the on-side but playing some incredible shots through the off-side too -- was special. That six off Prasidh Krishna's slower ball, with his weight completely on the back foot over long-off, was absolutely incredible," he added.

Jadeja eventually fell short of words while trying to explain the set of emotions he felt and said, "I don't have the vocabulary to fully explain the emotions I'm feeling. I'll try to put it this way: every one of us who played cricket dreamt of moments like this in our drawing rooms or local grounds. At 14 or 15, we all dreamt differently, but this is what you dream about -- to go out and live it in the TATA IPL against players with such experience and talent."

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.

Wow, just wow! A 14-year-old smashing international bowlers like that? 🤯 Indian cricket's future is in safe hands. Can't wait to see more of Suryavanshi!

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Priya M.

Jadeja makes a great point about how this changes perceptions. Kids from small towns now have a new hero to look up to. The IPL really is revolutionizing Indian cricket at all levels.

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Ankit S.

While the performance was incredible, I hope we don't put too much pressure on this kid. Remember what happened with Unmukt Chand after his U19 heroics? Let him develop at his own pace.

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Sanjana R.

That six off Prasidh Krishna's slower ball was pure magic! 💫 I've watched the replay like 20 times already. The way he kept his balance was just... chef's kiss!

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Vikram J.

Respectfully disagree with Jadeja's comparison to Dhoni's impact. While exciting, one innings doesn't make a revolution. Let's see if this becomes a trend before declaring cricket has changed forever.

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Neha P.

As someone from Bihar, this makes me so emotional! 🥹 Finally some positive news from our state in cricket. Hope this inspires more facilities and coaching centers here.

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Karan D.

The most impressive part for me was his emotional maturity. Crying after getting out but bouncing back immediately? That's championship mentality at 14!

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