India, Feb. 9 -- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The name alone is enough. Few youngsters in recent memory have captured the imagination quite like the 14-year-old from Samastipur, Bihar. The last year has been nothing short of a dream. From securing an IPL contract at just 13 to becoming the league's youngest-ever centurion, Sooryavanshi has only raised the bar with every passing month. He has struck centuries against England, Australia and South Africa on their own turf, but it was when hundreds began to feel routine that his stock truly soared of a match-winning 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final, a knock that carried his team all the way to the title.

At just 14, the world seems to be at Sooryavanshi's feet. For the longest time, clamours of ...