Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the talk of the IPL season, and he has now crossed the 400-run mark, becoming the first batter to reach the milestone this year. At just 15, he has injected real fire into the Royals’ batting line-up with his aggressive approach at the top of the order. The left-handed opener has repeatedly set the tone inside the powerplay, taking bowlers on from the very first over. His fearless intent and clean striking have turned matches on their head, with opposition attacks struggling to contain his early onslaughts. Sooryavanshi’s rise has been one of the standout stories of the season so far.
RR are currently placed third on the points table with six wins from nine matches, with Sooryavanshi playing a key role in their strong run this season.
Sunil Gavaskar was full of praise for the youngster’s batting display, offering a breakdown of the ease, timing and confidence with which he handled the bowling attack. He highlighted the way the batter read the field, picked his options smartly, and still managed to strike the ball with both power and control.
“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. What stands out is how unfazed he looks. That’s often the advantage of youth. You play without fear, without worrying about the opposition, and just back your natural game,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
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No target is beyond reach
The batting great reflected on the growing trend of massive run chases in T20 cricket this season, pointing out how quickly the mindset of teams has shifted. He noted that once a few sides successfully chased down huge totals, it created a ripple effect across the league, changing what teams now view as a defendable score.
“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. 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,” Gavaskar said.