There are performances that turn heads, and then there’s what Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is doing to the Indian Premier League. The 15-year-old phenom delivered another masterclass on Tuesday, smashing 93(38) to propel Rajasthan Royals closer to the play-offs with a comprehensive victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur.
But it wasn’t just the scoreboard that told the story. It was the faces of the bowlers, world-class operators reduced to bewildered spectators as a teenager treated them like club cricketers.
Justin Langer, the former Australian opening batsman who played 105 Tests and now coaches Lucknow, found himself struggling for superlatives. “I’ve seen some amazing players in 35 years of cricket,” Langer told reporters. “To see a young man bat like that, not just tonight but throughout the series, is breathtaking.”
A batting blitz for the ages
Sooryavanshi’s assault featured 10 towering sixes as he dismantled an attack featuring some of the planet’s most feared fast bowlers. Australia’s Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, men who’ve terrorised batting line-ups across all three formats, were dispatched with clinical brutality.
The innings catapulted Sooryavanshi past Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh on the IPL batting chart, and he now sits top of the pile with 579 runs from 13 matches. That’s earned him the orange cap as the competition’s highest run-scorer, a remarkable achievement for someone who should probably still be worrying about homework.
This latest explosion adds to a season littered with jaw-dropping performances, including a 36-ball century that announced his arrival on cricket’s biggest domestic stage.
“What about when he learns how to bat?”
It was Langer’s assessment of Sooryavanshi’s future that truly captured the frightening potential of this teenage phenomenon. Despite the carnage already inflicted, the Australian great suggested we haven’t seen anything yet.
“It’s quite incredible, actually, to be able to play that way, and now have the orange cap,” said Langer. “The scary thing going forward, if the expressions on the face of Mitch Starc and Nortje and every bowler tells a story now, is what about when he learns how to bat?”
That question hangs in the air like one of Sooryavanshi’s towering sixes. This is raw talent, largely unburdened by technique or conventional coaching wisdom. If this is what natural ability looks like, what happens when proper coaching and experience are added to the mix?
“Gosh, he’s so young. He’s a brilliant player, and it’s a real privilege to watch him bat,” Langer continued. “He’ll adapt, he’ll keep getting better and better, which is scary for world cricket.”
