NEW DELHI - Shy schoolboy Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in dreamland at just 14, having become the youngest player in Indian Premier League history and marking the occasion with an audacious first-ball six.
The fearless young left-hander is being touted as a superstar in the making after his instant impact opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, when he scored 34 off 20 balls in Jaipur including three sixes and two fours.
He finished on the losing side but stole the limelight as, at 14 years and 23 days old, he made his debut for Rajasthan after being bought for $130,500 in November's player's auction when he was still only 13.
An explosive free-scoring batsman, who can also bowl spin, Suryavanshi comes from India's poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media.
The teenager's rise has been swift.
He made his domestic debut aged 12 in the Ranji Trophy in January 2024, then was selected for India's under-19 squad against a touring Australia team.
He promptly hit a 58-ball century -- the second fastest ton in youth Tests after England's Moeen Ali in 2005.
But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction later that year that catapulted the youngster into global headlines.
Now he finds himself among the cricketing elite in the world's most popular and lucrative T20 tournament and has been lauded by former players after his first show.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan tagged a clip of Suryavanshi hitting his first ball for six off seasoned India seamer Shardul Thakur and wrote on X: "This is incredible."
"He is 14 but has the mind of a 30-year-old," former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said.
"Vaibhav Suryavanshi looked confident against bowlers who have been bowling for years."
Former India batsman Suresh Raina said: "He will rule cricket in the future. Vaibhav Suryavanshi will show what he is capable of."
Rajasthan coach and India great Rahul Dravid was impressed by the youngster in trials before the auction, saying that Suryavanshi had "some really good skills".