A 14-Year-Old Just Gave Cricket One of Its Greatest Moments

Howdy, cricket fanatics! This is Thinking Cricketer – your casual Tuesday madness antidote that makes sense of the Monday’s cricket chaos when everyone else is still talking about the obvious.

Today, my hands are still trembling as I type this. Last night, watching 14-year-old Vaibhav demolish bowling attacks with his 101(38) – the 2nd fastest IPL hundred ever – I cycled through disbelief, joy, concern, and ultimately pure awe.

He’s just 14. 

Playing in the IPL is one thing.

Scoring the 2nd fastest hundred ever? 101(38)

That’s something else. Something we’ve never seen before.

I remember his debut — when he opened his account with a cover drive for six.

I wrote then: This is the greatest Ipl moment.

Tonight proved it.

This wasn’t about a team or a country.

It wasn’t even about the IPL.

It was about the game itself.

And the way it can make us all stop, stare, and feel proud to be part of it.

You could see it on Rahul Dravid’s face. An injured man, who rarely shows emotion, stood up and clapped like a boy again.

Vaibhav may not even realise what he’s done. Maybe it’s better that way.

I hope we let him grow at his own pace. Without forcing him to act like someone he’s not. Let him have bad days, good days, and everything in between. Let him keep his innocence a little longer.

He’s in good hands with Rahul Dravid. The best hands possible.

This innings will stay with me for a long time.

Tonight made me love cricket a little more.

Made me believe in the stupid, brilliant beauty of it all.

Long live cricket.

Ciao. Until next time

Thinking Cricketer