New Delhi, April 14 -- The noise inside Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium had barely settled when the moment arrived, abrupt, unexpected, and almost jarring in its simplicity. A single delivery, a misjudged stroke, and the 15-year-old who had spent weeks dismantling bowling attacks walked back without scoring.

For Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the Indian Premier League had, until then, unfolded like a script written for prodigies. But on Sunday night, it paused, if only briefly, to remind him, and perhaps Indian cricket at large, that even the most extraordinary rises are not immune to interruption.

Suryavanshi's dismissal for a golden duck came at the hands of a debutant, Praful Hinge, whose opening over would go on to reshape the ...