Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lavished praise on Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old opening dynamo Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the left-hander started off yet another successful run-chase for his team with a lung-bursting start for them.
Sooryavanshi put 43 runs on the scoreboard in a 16-ball onslaught that helped his team take down Punjab Kings’ significant target of 223 which RR took down with four balls to spare.
“He made excellent use of the field and picked the line beautifully. The way he strikes the ball with such ease and power is remarkable,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports. He then added, “The shots he was hitting were brilliant. Even 10 fielders at the boundary would not have been enough. He doesn’t seem to be fazed. That, I think, is the benefit of being so young. You are not worried about anything. You don’t look at the opposition,”
Sooryavashi has become the first batter to reach 400 runs this IPL and has done so with an incredible strike rate of 238.09.
Gavaskar also spoke about the run chase and how teams are now taking down 220-240 run targets with ease because there is now a sense of belief that those chases are possible.
“It was similar to what RCB did to GT, or PBKS did to DC, when they chased 260-plus so comfortably. Once one team does that, others start believing they can do it as well, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” Gavaskar said.
“Since then, we’ve had multiple 200-plus chases, and now even 220-plus totals are being chased with balls to spare. It shows how strongly teams believe that no target, even 220 or 240, is beyond reach,” he added.
Despite the loss, Punjab still retain their top spot on the IPL standings whereas the Royals are on third spot but are just a solitary point behind the league leaders.
