Vaibhav Suryavanshi begins personalised BCCI training in Bengaluru after breakout IPL and U-19 season

Fourteen-year-old left-hander Vaibhav Suryavanshi has started a personalised training block at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (NCA) in Bengaluru from August 10, a move that signals both recognition of his rapid rise and a plan to shape his game for the next phase. After a stunning debut IPL season with Rajasthan Royals and a prolific Under-19 tour of England, the NCA programme is designed to sharpen his white-ball strengths while lifting his red-ball consistency before India’s junior tour of Australia in September–October. His childhood coach Manish Ojha, who has tracked Vaibhav’s development closely, says the focus is clear: turn a precocious power-hitter into a more rounded batter who can sustain impact across formats.

Why the call came now

Suryavanshi’s trajectory across the last twelve months made a compelling case. He became the youngest IPL centurion in 2025 after breaking into RR’s XI in the wake of Sanju Samson’s injury. The franchise initially planned to ease him in, but his 38-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans and a season strike rate of 206.55 triggered a rethink. In England with the U-19s, he topped the Youth ODI series with 355 runs at an average of 71 and set a benchmark with a 52-ball century at Worcester, the fastest recorded Youth ODI ton. The BCCI’s response has been measured rather than flashy: one-on-one training, match-scenario work, and a short, intense block that flows into team practice and then competitive fixtures, rather than a rushed jump in levels.

What the NCA block will target?

The Bengaluru plan emphasises repeatable technique under pressure, tempo control, and a clearer method against both pace and spin. Against the quicks, coaches want him to extend his straight-scoring options, refine his contact points, and build options for the short ball likely to feature in Australia. Versus spin, the emphasis is on two gears—using the feet early to kill length, and a sweep range to avoid getting stuck in the middle overs on lower, slower surfaces later in the season. The red-ball piece is deliberately specific: choose better leaves outside off, manage the first 30 balls of an innings without gifting chances, and convert starts with lower-risk boundary options. Ojha puts it simply: in ten innings, seven or eight should be impactful. Match simulations at the NCA are geared to test decision-making when fatigue and scoreboard pressure set in.

Career snapshot and pathway

Suryavanshi was picked by RR for ₹1.1 crore ahead of IPL 2025 and finished his debut season with 252 runs in seven matches, winning the Super Striker of the Season award. The Royals set up a special practice session when he returned from England, using it as a handover to the NCA’s individualised schedule. That continuity matters—franchise, age-group, and national pathways are aligned on role, workload, and areas of growth. For the next two months, his calendar is straightforward: complete the week in Bengaluru, join group practice, travel for the junior Australia leg, and keep stacking high-quality batting time without overexposure.

Coach’s lens and India’s planning horizon Ojha is bullish about Vaibhav’s white-ball game—“he can attack from ball one”—but sees a gap in multi-day output compared to his T20 and 50-over returns. That honesty underpins the current plan. For the BCCI, the timing is strategic. Senior players will phase out over the next cycle, and high-ceiling talents must be nurtured with patience, not rushed. A left-handed, top-order batter with bat speed, range in front of the wicket, and the temperament he showed in the IPL is the kind of profile that can reshape India’s batting balance if the red-ball foundation keeps pace.

Key numbers

• IPL 2025 (Rajasthan Royals): 252 runs, 7 innings, strike rate 206.55, 1 century (38 balls), Super Striker of the Season

• India U-19 in England: 355 runs in 5 Youth ODIs, average 71.00, fastest recorded Youth ODI hundred (52 balls, Worcester)

Projected role and next steps

Near term, Suryavanshi remains a central figure in U-19 and A-level plans with managed exposure. Medium term, he is a white-ball top-order candidate as India refresh their batting core. Long term, multi-format viability depends on how quickly he absorbs the red-ball habits now being drilled in Bengaluru. For a teenager who has already shown fearlessness under lights, this programme is about adding patience and structure so the method holds when the spotlight inevitably grows brighter.

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