Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s latest extraordinary innings was hailed by cricket greats yesterday, as calls grew for the 15-year-old phenomenon to be propelled straight into the senior India team.
The teenage opener hit 12 sixes, including three in a row off Australia captain Pat Cummins, before he was out for 97 off 29 balls for Rajasthan Royals in Wednesday’s playoff win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“Yeah, he played pretty well,” said a shell-shocked Cummins, who was launched into the stands four times in all by the left-hander. “The margins are so small. You miss your yorker by a little bit and he doesn’t tend to miss them. So, yeah, fair play.”
Photo: AP
Sooryavanshi hit seven boundaries in a row to reach 97 off 28 balls.
However, he was caught in the deep attempting another that would have broken Chris Gayle’s record of 30 balls for the fastest IPL century.
On the way, he smashed the West Indian’s 12-year-old record of 59 sixes in a single edition of the IPL. He has cleared the ropes 65 times and is in possession of the Orange Cap for the most runs in the IPL season, with 680 at an average of 45.33.
Past master Gayle called Sooryavanshi the IPL’s “new six machine.”
“What a phenomenal player Vaibhav is. Great entertainment young man,” he wrote on social media.
Sooryavanshi was crestfallen when he was out, but he has a chance for more fireworks against Gujarat Titans in the final playoff match today. The holders Royal Challengers Bengaluru await the winners in Sunday’s final.
Calls for Sooryavanshi to be fast-tracked into India’s team have accelerated since he slammed a 17-ball 52 to start his IPL season.
“He is the best T20 opener in the world... India have to pick him,” former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on X on Wednesday.
India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar lauded Sooryavanshi’s technique, calling the innings “simply spectacular.”
Comparisons with Tendulkar, who made his full international debut aged 16, have been inevitable, but former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik warned against heaping expectation on young shoulders.
“What Vaibhav is doing is very special, but what I don’t want the people to do is tag him as the next Sachin, because he is just 15 years old,” Karthik said on the Quest Talk podcast. “I think what Sachin did was extraordinary. Vaibhav’s challenges will be completely different.”
Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag said he did not need to offer much advice to the fearless teenager.
“That’s the thing we don’t have any conversations,” Parag said. “He likes batting. Just leave him alone, let him go and have fun.”
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS