Former England captain Jos Buttler has heaped praise on India’s teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, drawing comparisons between the young Bihar and Rajasthan Royals star and legends like Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh. Speaking on a podcast with former teammate Stuart Broad, Buttler highlighted Suryavanshi’s exceptional bat speed and flair, likening it to the grace and power once displayed by Lara and Yuvraj at their peak. Buttler also commended the 14-year-old prodigy for making a name for himself despite hailing from a lesser-known cricketing region. “Even at his age, he’s already played first-class cricket at 12. He comes from a state in eastern India—I think it’s called Bihar. Not many big names have come from there,” Buttler noted. He went on to recall Suryavanshi’s record-breaking century before the IPL 2025 auction, calling it a standout moment that drew national attention. Jos Buttler just found out there exists a state called “Bihar”. That’s the power of one kid with a bat and a dream. pic.twitter.com/D0zJURwEoH — Bihar_se_hai (@Bihar_se_hai) June 29, 2025 Suryavanshi, who was bought at the auction by the Royals team management for 1.10 crores following his exploits in the U19 circuit, including a 58-ball ton in a Youth Test versus Australia, became a household name with a tremendous century against Buttler’s team Gujarat Titans. The aggressive opener belted a hundred off 35 balls in the Royals’ victory and became not just the youngest but also the fastest Indian IPL centurion ever. Buttler said he felt inspired watching the teenager’s blitz in Jaipur. “It was inspiring and deflating at the same time. This guy is 20 years younger than me and he is just smashing us all around the park,” Buttler said. “Our bowling attack consists of Mohammed Siraj, a brilliant international bowler, Prasidh Krishna, an international bowler, Rashid Khan, the best T-20 bowler and he just smashed a scale of sixes and really big sixes.” Suryavanshi rocked the IPL 2025 despite only coming in as an injury replacement at the top. He played an instrumental role in two of RR’s only four victories in a disastrous campaign that saw the inaugural champions finish ninth on the table. The left-hander also produced a valiant half-century in the win over Chennai Super Kings in the Royals’ last game and finished the season with 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.56.