“What the Hell, Man. Where Has This Guy Come From?” – Ashwin Shocked by 14-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s IPL Performance
Sanju Samson and Ravichandran Ashwin, former teammates at Rajasthan Royals, were both blown away by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who caught everyone’s attention in the 2025 IPL with his explosive batting and maturity. On Ashwin’s Kutti Stories podcast, they shared how amazed they were by how the young talent could hit the ball so powerfully against some of the best bowlers, especially when most players his age are still learning the basics. Suryavanshi skipped the youth stages and made an instant impact in the biggest T20 league.
“The young boy who is smashing it all around the park for the Rajasthan Royals. Vaibhav Suryavanshi. When he hit the first ball for a six, I was like, 'That's cool. He lucked out'. But then he just went on and on. The quality of shots he was hitting really shocked me,” Sanju Samson said.
Sanju Samson and Ashwin on Vaibhav Suryavanshi
— AdityaRRaj (@RR_for_LIFE) August 9, 2025
The way he expressed Vaibhav 'Our' pic.twitter.com/T8HdmbWcph
Ashwin was equаlly amazed, not just by Suryavanshi’s powerful hitting, but also by his smart play. He remembered a moment in the IPL when he tried to trick the young batsman with a slower delivery, only to be out-thought and outplayed by Suryavanshi’s sharp cricketing mind.
“I'll tell you one small story. After that RR vs CSK game in Delhi. It is not so much about his hitting. So I bowled one ball, from around the stumps. He played one to cover. And the next ball, I bowled it slow. You have kept wickets for me for a long time. I wanted to see where he would go. He just waited on that ball,” Ashwin told Sanju Samson during their chat on Ashwin’s YouTube channel
“Just creamed through mid-on for a single. I was like, ‘What the hell, man. Where has this guy come from?’ And he is 14 years old. And I made my debut 18 years ago in the IPL. He was still in the imagination of his parents. So, it was quite crazy. I saw Jos Buttler talk to Jofra about it. He asked him, ‘How did it feel to get smashed by a 14-year-old in the nets?’,” he added.
After his standout IPL season, Suryavanshi has made his mark with India U-19 on their tour of England. He delivered a memorable performance in a Youth ODI at Worcester, where he smashed a brilliant 143 against the England U-19 team. In аddition to his batting, he also showcased his all-round abilities by taking several wickets in a Youth Test during the tour, solidifying his reputаtion аs one of India's top young prospects.