Dravid all praise for Suryavanshi, says “he’s got some really good skills’

Rajasthan Royals head coach feels that the franchise would be able to provide 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi with "a good environment"

Jeddah: Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid feels that the franchise would be able to provide 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi with “a good environment” for his upcoming stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The eighth standard student from Bihar’s Samastipur was picked up by the franchise for Rs. 1.10 crore, making him the youngest cricketer to earn an IPL contract.

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“I think he’s (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in. Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw,” said Dravid in an IPL video. Suryavanshi recently became the youngest batter to score an international century, having attained the feat in a Youth Test for India Under-19 versus Australia U-19 in Chennai, making 104 in just 62 deliveries.

He also made his T20 debut for Bihar in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy versus Rajasthan on Saturday, managing a 6-ball 13. Having made an impact in the junior circuit, Suryavanshi has yet to play a meaningful knock in First-Class cricket, as he averages only 10 after five matches and has the best score of 41.

He hails from Samastipur and debuted at the age of 12 years and 284 days versus Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last season, as he became the youngest player in the competition’s history. Also, Suryavanshi was only 12 years old when playing in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar, aggregating nearly 400 runs in just five engagements.