Vikram Rathour backs Vaibhav Suryavanshi to become a big player if he works hard

Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour is impressed with youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s batting power ahead of IPL 2025. Rathour backed the 13-year-old to become a big player in the future if he continues to work hard on his skills.

The former Indian batting coach said they might not use the youngster’s services from the get-go as they have batters like Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel. Rathour said they would play Suryavanshi depending on the strategy, surface and the opposition.

Suryavanshi was bagged for INR 1.10 crore by the inaugural champions in IPL 2025 mega auction as his acquisition made headlines.

“I am not sure if we will use him or not, it will depend on the strategy, the surface and the opposition. We acquired his services because he is a very special player. He has a lot of ability, he may be young but I have hardly ever seen a player this young to possess the power he has. The signs are great and if he works hard I am sure he will be a big player,” Vikram Rathour said in a press conference.

On the other hand, Rathour will reunite with former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, who will take command of the coaching staff for RR in IPL 2025.

“There won’t be much difference. We have worked together before, he is a brilliant coach. I really enjoyed my tenure with him. When we were in the Indian team we were fortunate enough to win the World Cup. Otherwise, there’s not much difference, the IPL is a shorter tournament and Indian cricket is year-long,” Rathour said.

RR will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on 23rd March.