Such players come once in a century: Suresh Raina says 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi will make India debut soon

India and Chennai Super Kings star Suresh Raina has said Rajasthan Royals' teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi will break into the Indian T20I team soon.

Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel on Friday, Raina heaped praise on the 14-year-old opener's frealess approach and his recent performances in both the IPL and U-19 series against England. Raina further compared Suryavanshi to players like Rishabh Pant and Rinku Singh.

Suryavanshi impressed in IPL 2025, winning the Super Striker of the Season award with 252 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 206.55. He smashed a century against Gujarat Titans, scoring 101 runs off just 38 balls against the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, and Rashid Khan.


The Bihar-based teenager continued his great form in youth cricket, scoring 143 off 78 balls against England's U-19 team in Worcester. He emerged as the leading run-scorer in the five-match series with 355 runs at an average of 71.

"Vaibhav Suryavanshi. His fearless approach is different. Mhatre is also good, but Vaibhav has X-factor; such talents are rare. He recently scored a ton in England and scored a century in the IPL. It shows 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."

"There was a coach from Bihar who told me that he looked after him. Such players come once in a century, whether it's Rishabh Pant, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, or Rinku Singh… Ayush Mhtare, at the age of 17, right from the very first match [for CSK], whatever he has done [has been impressive]."

Raina was also impressed with the 17-year-old Ayush, who scored 240 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 188.97 for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. Mhatre recently impressed in youth Tests against England's U19 team, scoring centuries in Beckenham and Chelmsford.