On Tuesday, April 7, the Rajasthan Royals defeated the Mumbai Indians by 27 runs in a rain-curtailed 11-over-per-side contest at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Vaibhav Suryavanshi set the stage ablaze once again with another phenomenal display of ball striking.
Suryavanshi hit the legendary Jasprit Bumrah for a six off the first ball he bowled on Tuesday. Three balls later, the Bihar batter cleared the fence once again, awe-inspiring the cricket fraternity. He eventually scored 39 runs during his 14-ball stay at the crease.
After the match, the legendary Harbhajan Singh praised Suryavanshi, highlighting how he was putting one of the best bowlers in the world under pressure. The former India off-spinner backed the left-handed batter to rule world cricket.
“A 15-year-old was against the World’s No.1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah. And the very first ball, a small kid, hits him for a six off the very first ball. The best of the best sweat against Bumrah, but this kid has shown that he plays the ball and not the bowler. Bumrah is known to come back. He bowled a slower one. But that also, he picked it nicely and put it away for a six over mid-wicket. This guy has shown that, despite being 15, he is prepared and is here to rule. He will rule,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“Does anyone play like this at 15? People start getting big at this age, but this guy is already in the class of the big. Mumbai had three solid bowlers, and all three were taken to the attack at the start itself. That is where Jaiswal and Suryavanshi broke MI’s confidence,” he added.
Jaiswal was unbelievable: Harbhajan
Suryavanshi’s opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, also received praise from Harbhajan. The southpaw top-scored with an unbeaten 77 off 32 balls to help the Royals get to 150/3 in 11 overs. He smashed 10 fours and four sixes during his whirlwind knock.
“Jaiswal was unbelievable. He batted the way right from the first ball till the end. This year, he is batting like a senior batter. I am very happy to see our youngsters taking responsibility. There is no lack of capability. From the background he came from, and where he is today, it shows that hard work is the only solution. He has gone through a time when he had nothing. Today, he has everything, but he has maintained cricket as his priority,” he said.
Sooryavanshi has forced even Bumrah to think: Irfan Pathan
Rajasthan eventually won the match by 27 runs after restricting Mumbai to 123/9 in 11 overs. Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, and Ravi Bishnoi bagged two wickets each for the inaugural champions.
