'No mutton or pizza': Vaibhav Suryavanshi's coach reveals how he prepared for IPL

Rajasthan Royals' 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi made waves by debuting in the IPL against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 19. This remarkable feat made him the youngest player to ever debut in the league's history. Coming in as an Impact Sub he opened the batting alongside fellow left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Suryavanshi wasted no time making an impression, launching a six on his very first ball, delivered by the seasoned Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur. He went on to score an impressive 34 runs off just 20 balls before being stumped by Rishabh Pant. Following this exciting performance, his coach Manish Ojha shared some insights about the young cricketer, including details about his diet.

“Mutton nahi khana hai usko, instructions hain. Pizza hata diya hai uske diet chart mein se [Mutton is not allowed for him as per the instructions. Pizza has been removed from his diet chart]. He is just fond of chicken and mutton. He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn't eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it. That's why he looks a bit chubby," Ojha told Times of India.

"He will go a long way. We've seen the way he started the innings, and I can promise you he will score big in the coming matches. He's a fearless batter. He has said time and again that he admires Brian Lara. But he's a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is just like Yuvraj's," he added.

Suryavasnhi, who the Royals picked up for a whopping INR 1.1 crore during the mega auction last November, had been sitting on the bench until now. But with skipper Sanju Samson sidelined due to an abdominal injury, one of the opening spots opened up. The RR management decided it was finally time to give the young talent a shot, telling him to "get ready for your IPL debut."

"He was very happy. He called me after his practice session yesterday and said (Rahul) Dravid sir and the management called him and told him that he will be playing against Lucknow Super Giants. He was elated. But was tensed. I said just be calm and play the way you have been. He said chakke waala ball ayega to marunga, rukunga nahi [if the ball asks to be hit for a six, won't hesitate]," the coach said.

Talking about the match, the two teams really went at it. Suryavanshi and Jaiswal set a strong foundation for the Rajasthan Royals with their opening partnership, but a couple of quick wickets soon had them feeling the heat. Thanks to some tight bowling from LSG, the Royals found themselves needing nine runs off the final over, with Shubham Dubey and Dhruv Jurel at the crease. Unfortunately, they struggled to handle Avesh Khan’s expertly delivered yorkers and ended up just two runs short.

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