Patna: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a heartwarming encounter at Patna airport as he met 14-year-old cricketing prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. The young sensation has captured the nation's attention with his extraordinary performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Taking to the social media platform X, the Prime Minister shared a few photos and lauded the teenager's talent. "At Patna airport, met the young cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. His cricketing skills are being admired all over the nation! My best wishes to him for his future endeavours," PM Modi posted. Suryavanshi, who turned out for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) this season, has been one of the breakthrough stars of the tournament. In just seven matches, the teenager accumulated 252 runs, but it was his explosive century against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur that truly sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. Batting with a maturity well beyond his years, Suryavanshi hammered 101 off just 38 deliveries, becoming the youngest ever centurion in men's T20 cricket. His hundred, which came off just 35 balls, now stands as the second-fastest century in IPL history, a staggering feat for a player just 14 years old. The biggest night of Suryavanshi's career so far witnessed him break several other records: -This is also the seventh-fastest century in T20 cricket, with the fastest one belonging to Sahil Chauhan of Estonia against Cyprus in 2024, coming in just 27 balls. -Suryavanshi also reached his fifty in just 17 balls, the fifth-fastest in league history, making him the youngest ever to score an IPL fifty. -94 of Suryavanshi's runs came through boundaries, with seven fours and 11 sixes included. 93% boundary percentage is the highest in any century in IPL's history. -Also, Vaibhav tied with former Indian batter Murali Vijay for most sixes by an Indian in an IPL innings, 11 each, with most sixes overall being hit by Gayle during his iconic 175* against Pune Warriors India, which included 17 maximums. -Also, the 166-run stand between Vaibhav and Yashasvi Jaiswal is the highest partnership for any wicket for Rajasthan Royals, surpassing 155 by Jos Buttler & Devdutt Padikkal against DC at the Wankhede in 2022. -Suryavanshi also took just three innings to reach his maiden IPL ton, outdoing Punjab Kings (PBKS) batters Priyansh Arya and Paul Valthaty, who took four innings, as per Wisden.com. The meeting with the Prime Minister adds another memorable chapter to Suryavanshi's meteoric rise in Indian cricket.
