The 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi continues to impress, as legendary Indian batter Suresh Raina picks him as the X-factor for the Indian team in the years to come.
In a recent podcast, Suresh Raina was asked to choose the next big thing in Indian cricket between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. Interestingly, Raina picked the Rajasthan Royals star over the Chennai Super Kings player, highlighting Suryavanshi’s recent impact in the IPL and during the India A tour of England.
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“Vaibhav Suryavanshi: The 14-Year-Old Sensation and India’s Next X-Factor”
At just 14 years old, Vaibhav quickly rose to prominence with his performance in IPL 2025. He made an immediate mark by hitting a six off the first ball he faced in the league to kick-start his career.. He scored the fastest IPL century by an Indian batter and finished the season with 252 runs at an average of 36. Impressed by his aggressive approach, Suresh Raina named him the X-factor of Indian cricket over Ayush Mhatre.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi. His fearless approach is different. Mhatre is also good, but Vaibhav has the X-factor; such talents are rare. He recently scored a ton in England and a century in the IPL. This player from Bihar proves – ek Bihari sab pe bhari (One from Bihar is heavier than all). Nobody knew Samastipur… A player from a village showed his potential,” Raina said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.
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“Raina Hails Suryavanshi and Mhatre as Once-in-a-Generation Talents
However, he also praised Ayush Mhatre for his contribution to CSK and compared both Mhatre and Suryavanshi to Rinku Singh and Rishabh Pant, calling them once-in-a-generation players of Indian cricket.
“There was a coach from Bihar who told me he looked after him. Such players come once in a century, whether it’s Rishabh Pant, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, or Rinku Singh. Ayush Mhatre, at the age of 17, right from his very first match [for CSK], has done impressive work,” he concluded.
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