Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shattered another record on Saturday in a short career filled with milestones as he slammed a 36-ball century in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. This was also the third fastest century in the league and he got to his second IPL ton with the help of 5 fours and 12 sixes.
Earlier, after being dropped by Aniket Verma, Sooryavanshi had got to his half century in just 15 balls, a feat he had repeated earlier in the season as well. With his belligerent hitting, he also became the youngest player to reach 1000 T20 runs.
Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 last month, returned for his second season with high expectations after scoring an explosive 80-ball 175 in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in February.
The youngster is also likely to be picked for this June’s India T20I tour to Ireland and could become the youngest player to represent the country. The Indian Express understands that the selectors might give the 15-year-old the big break in the short series just before a white-ball tour of England.
The left-hander, who has taken some of the best bowlers in the world to the cleaners in the last edition and continues in the same vein this year as well, has already hit a 26-ball 78 against , a 17-ball 52 against and a 14-ball 39 against so far this season. He doesn’t seem overawed by reputation and has taken on the likes of – whom he hit for a six on the first ball he faced – and Josh Hazlewood with aplomb.
Earlier this week, former World Cup winning player for India Krishnamachari Srikkanth lauded the prodigal Sooryavanshi, comparing him to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, saying that he can be the next demi-god of Indian cricket.
“When I went in a tour as captain in 1989, that time there was a prodigy at the age of 16– a young boy called Sachin Tendulkar. Today, he’s the god of cricket. Similarly this boy can be the next demi-god of cricket. I think this boy has got tremendous talent,” he added.
