‘In Pakan, people would have said, throw him out’: Former Pakan cricketer Basit Ali praises IPL youngest debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s fearless approach | Cricket News

Last Saturday, Vaibhav Suryavanshi had become the youngest debutant in IPL at an age of 14 years and 23 days, when he was brought in as an impact player Rajasthan Royals in their chase of the target of 181 runs against Lucknow Super Giants at Jaipur. While Suryavanshi made his IPL debut with a six off Shardul Thakur off the first delivery faced him, the 14-year-old played a knock of 34 runs off 20 runs and drew praise for his batting in the top order even though Royals faced a narrow two-run loss in the match. Former Pakani player Basit Ali has showered praise on the young star saying ‘In Pakan, people would have said, throw him out’.
“The 14-year-old kid, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The way he smashed that first ball for six, it’s a huge deal. Imagine what would have happened had he gotten out trying to hit the first ball for six? What would people have said? In Pakan, people would have said, throw him out. But this is how confidence is given, which later pays off,” Basit said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Suryavanshi was picked the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore in last year’s mega auction in Saudi Arabia. The then 13-year-old was one of the stars for the Indian U-19 team last year and has scored 176 runs at an average of 44 in last year’s U-19 Asia Cup. Suryavanshi broke the earlier record of the youngest player to play in IPL held Prayas Ray Barman, who at the age of 16 years and 157 days had played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match in 2022. With new talent like Ashwani Kumar (Mumbai Indians), Priyansh Arya (Punjab Kings) and Nehal Wadhera (Punjab Kings) emerging in this year’s IPL, Ali praised the talent pool IPL has to offer. “The class of IPL – when I call it No. 1, my Pakan brothers feel bad. But all they do is waste their hands and time. Look at the immense pool of talent, this season alone. Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Abdul Samad, Ashwani Kumar. I want to see Mayank Yadav in particular. I am eagerly waiting for him to be match fit. I really want to see his bowling,” added Ali.
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was also impressed Suryavanshi’s first ball six in the match. “My word, what the hell was that? One of the hardest shots in cricket is to gain power over cover off the front shoe … Power to burn from the 14-year-old. What a way to announce yourself to the world,” Watson has said on air during commentary on Star Sports.