Rahul Dravid backs 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's inclusion in Rajasthan Royals
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals's head coach Rahul Dravid has thrown his weight behind the team's latest recruit, 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
The young cricketer from Bihar was picked up by the franchise for ₹1.10 crore. He became the youngest player ever to bag an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract.
"I think he's (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in," Dravid said in a video posted on IPL's official X handle.
Trial triumph
Impressive performance at RR trials
Suryavanshi was picked after his stellar show at the Rajasthan Royals's trials.
"Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw," Dravid revealed in an IPL video.
The young cricketer recently made headlines as the youngest batter to score an international century, doing so in a Youth Test for the Indian Under-19 side against Australia in Chennai.
Junior achievements
Suryavanshi's journey in junior cricket
Despite his tender age, Suryavanshi has already made a mark on the junior cricket circuit.
He made his T20 debut in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Bihar against Rajasthan, scoring a quickfire 13 off just six balls.
However, he is yet to make a mark in First-Class cricket, averaging just 10 after five matches with a top score of 41.
Record debut
Suryavanshi's record-breaking Ranji Trophy debut
Suryavanshi made his Ranji Trophy debut at 12 years and 284 days against Mumbai last season, becoming the youngest player in the competition's history.
He also played in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar at just 12, scoring nearly 400 runs in five matches.
His father Sanjeev Suryavanshi revealed both Rajasthan and Delhi had invited him for trials owing to his promising performances.
Auction strategy
Rajasthan Royals's strategy in IPL auction
Dravid also spoke about the team's strategy at the IPL auction.
"We came into this auction having retained a lot of our core Indian batsmen. A big target for us in this auction really was bowlers," he said.
The franchise has strengthened its bowling attack with the likes of Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ashok Sharma, and Kwena Maphaka.