Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his superb form in the IPL, garnering more praise from current and former cricketers.
The 15-year-old opening batter made the biggest statement in his short yet explosive career on Tuesday night by taking on one the greatest bowlers of the modern era – Jasprit Bumrah.
The Rajasthan Royals batter went after Mumbai Indians' pace ace in a rain-curtailed match in Guwahati, providing further credence to calls for fast-tracking him to the senior national team.
After fellow opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 22 runs off Deepak Chahar's first over, all eyes were on the clash between Bumrah and the teenager.
India's double world champion pacer was greeted with a six down the ground off his first ball. One ball later, the teenager smashed Bumrah for an even bigger six over square leg.
Veteran Kiwi fast-bowler Trent Boult was in for even more harsh treatment as Sooryavanshi cracked three sixes off the New Zealander's first four balls.
Shardul Thakur was also smashed around before Sooryavanshi hit one straight to deep cover for a 14-ball 39.
Jaiswal continued to dominate from the other end, finishing unbeaten on 77 from 32 balls as Rajasthan amassed 150-3 in 11 overs.
Mumbai Indians batting failed spectacularly as they could only manage 123-9, losing by 27 runs.
The spotlight, however, was on Sooryavanshi with former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn expressing his disbelief at the opener's batting.
“Honestly, he has created and instilled the fear into bowlers that he's going to hit you for boundaries,” Steyn said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show.
“That [first] delivery from Bumrah was in the slot. That's so rare of Bumrah. So even the great Bumrah is thinking at the back of his mind: 'Don't get it wrong, because if I get it wrong, this guy's going to hit me for six'.”
“And this kid's not scared, man. If you miss a half-volley, he's going to hit you out of the ground. Miss and you are travelling the distance. It doesn't matter who you are.”
Sooryavanshi's batting partner Jaiswal, who scored at a strike rate of nearly 250, managed to get overshadowed by the brilliance of the teen batter. Jaiswal said he was able to bat with complete freedom from the other end.
“It's amazing to bat with Vaibhav,” player of the match Jaiswal said. “He hit the first ball for a six and I was like – keep playing your shots. Bumrah is one of the legends, and if he's scoring off him like this, it's amazing.
“After that, it felt like we could take down the other bowlers. It took pressure off me and I could work on my plans to target someone else.”
Former India players who were commentating during the match also lauded the bravery of Sooryavanshi.
“If a 15-year-old kid bats and dominates like this … I salute him,” Harbhajan Singh, a former Mumbai Indians teammate of Bumrah, said.
“This kid is truly special. We have never seen anyone anywhere like him,” former India opener Aakash Chopra added.
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said Sooryavanshi was a “special talent”.
“This kid Suryavanshi has absolutely no respect for bowlers! What a talent,” Mathews posted on X.
In three IPL matches this season, Sooryavanshi has scored at a strike rate of almost 250.
