'Vaibhav Suryavanshi is absolutely ready, at least for the Indian T20 team' - 14-year-old opener's childhood coach

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's childhood coach Manish Ojha believes the Bihar batter is ready for the rigours of international cricket and won't be overawed by the pressure that comes with it. The Bihar batter has taken the cricket fraternity by storm in 2025. He might only be 14 years old, but he has scored runs against bowlers who are way more experienced than he is.

The southpaw burst onto the scene after Rajasthan Royals signed him for INR 1.10 crore at the IPL 2025 mega-auction when he was just 13 years old. During IPL 2025, Suryavanshi finished with 252 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 206.56. His standout moment came in a match against the Gujarat Titans, when he slammed a 35-ball century in Jaipur on April 28.

“In my opinion, he’s absolutely ready, at least for the Indian T20 team,” Manish said confidently while speaking to India Today, a day after Vaibhav smashed 171 against the UAE in a U19 World Cup match in Dubai. It was his sixth hundred in 2025 and his second in a major age-group tournament.

Suryavanshi recently showed his class during the ACC Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament last month. He finished as the second-highest run-getter, amassing 239 runs from four innings at an average of 59.75 and a strike rate of 243.87.

Manish is confident that Suryavanshi will be able to hold his own in international cricket, at least in the two white-ball formats of the game.

“Look at the IPL — most bowlers he faced were international bowlers, and the rest were top domestic bowlers. He was executing his shots beautifully against them,” Manish said.

“It’s up to the BCCI to decide, but in my view, he’s ready for T20Is and even ODIs. Given the way he’s playing, he should be given a chance sooner rather than later. It would be a record for India and a huge encouragement for a young player," he added.

I’m 100% sure he’ll handle the pressure at the international level: Manish

Manish reiterated that Suryavanshi, who smashed a century against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this month, has all the ingredients needed to succeed in international cricket.

“He’ll handle it easily. He was part of the Rising Stars Asia Cup, and even there, he stood out. He played with some established India stars in the team led by Jitesh Sharma, but didn’t he stand out?” Manish asked

“In the IPL, he played in front of massive crowds, as loud and intense as any India match. But he played normally, stuck to his game, and didn’t show hesitation, nervousness or anxiety. He was completely calm. I’m 100% sure he’ll handle the pressure at the international level as well,” he added.