Often, a performance becomes so great that even the opposition sets aside rivalry to bow down in sheer admiration. Sanjiv Goenka, owner of Lucknow Super Giants, echoed the same sentiment after witnessing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deliver a masterclass beyond his years in Jaipur on Tuesday. Not only did he stand up and applaud the knock, but he was also seen having a chat with the Rajasthan Royals opener. That sight even left Sunil Gavaskar teasing an IPL auction possibility.
It was an un-Sooryavanshi start at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium against Lucknow Super Giants as he managed just 11 runs from his first 12 balls, playing second fiddle in the opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who by then had blasted 37 off 18 balls. But he resumed normal service an over later, and never looked back. He took down Akash Singh for a 26-run over and then smashed Mayank Yadav for a 29-run over as he reached his half-century in just 23 balls, and scored the remaining 43 in just 15 deliveries.
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A century looked inevitable, only to be left agonisingly short of the mark by just seven runs after being undone by a slower one from Mohsin Khan. Sooryavanshi was left distraught at the missed opportunity, but the Jaipur crowd and his teammates stood up to applaud his knock as he made his way back to the pavilion.
Despite Rajasthan Royals still being 43 runs away from the target of 221 at the time of Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, that carnage had single-handedly sealed LSG’s fate, and a ninth defeat of the season was all but confirmed for the side, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race. Yet, putting all of that aside, Goenka, along with LSG head coach Justin Langer, stood and clapped for Sooryavanshi, acknowledging his extraordinary knock.
RR needed 31 more balls to finish off the chase, with Dhruv Jurel scoring the winning boundary en route to his unbeaten 53.
After the seven-wicket defeat, Goenka was spotted chatting with Sooryavanshi as the batter obliged young fans with autographs. That sight left Gavaskar excited as he teased: “I will be bidding for you soon.”
The Royals have unearthed a gem for the long haul. And given there is no fixed limit on how long a player can stay with a single franchise, it is unlikely that RR will let Sooryavanshi go anytime soon. Hence, while such remarks may be speculative or humorous, Sooryavanshi is unlikely to be released by the franchise unless he himself decides to make the move.