"Over 500 Missed Calls": Vaibhav Suryavanshi Narrates Maiden IPL Century Episode

14-year-old batting prodigy from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has taken the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm in his debut season. Bought for Rs 1.1 crore, the southpaw had to wait patiently for his opportunity. He only got his chance in Rajasthan Royals' (RR) seventh match, a home fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), but it came at the cost of Sanju Samson's unfortunate injury. Since then now scored 252 runs in seven matches this season, but it was his blistering hundred against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur that made headlines around the world.

At just 14 years of age, he became the youngest ever centurion in men's T20 cricket, smashing 101 off 38 balls. His century, which came in just 35 deliveries, stands as the second-fastest in IPL history.

In a freewheeling chat with RR head coach Rahul Dravid, Suryavanshi revealed he got 500 missed calls after he scored his century and that he had switched off his phone for four days to focus on the upcoming matches.

"I have been preparing for 3-4 years. And I saw the results too. Whatever was missing, I was able to work on it. All the things that once looked tough, became easy. I have realised that it's important to stay focussed. There's no such thing as natural game. You only have to play according to what the team needs. And not try to do too many extra things at this level. I have to stay in my strong zone and make the team win," said Suryavanshi in a video uploaded by IPL.

"I received over 500 missed calls, but I had kept my phone switched off. A lot of people were approaching him after I scored the century. But I don't like that [having too many people]. I try to stay away. I had kept my phone off for 4 days; I told you that. I like to be around my people at home and a few friends. That's it," he added.

The video concluded with Dravid praising Suryavanshi

"It was a great season. Keep doing what you did, play well, train well. But keep this in mind that next year, all these bowlers will come prepared, more prepared against you. So we too have to prepare, train hard, and develop more skills. Well done," Dravid said, before the video concluded.

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