Alarm bells ring for Gujarat Titans after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shows Jofra Archer no mercy in Rajasthan Royals’ nets
Some of the shots that the Bihar batsman played against Archer, they were simply out of this world.
And just like that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become a big star. At an age where teens are usually clueless, the Bihar batsman is beating the living daylights out of fearsome fast bowlers from all over the world.
Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 late last month, has continued to enthral in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals. The franchise, winner of the inaugural edition in 2008, has now released a video where Sooryavanshi is up against England fast bowler Jofra Archer in the nets. And the way the Indian batsman is treating Archer, it's nothing short of extraordinary. Archer, who regularly clocks 150kmph, didn't look to bother the teen cricketing sensation of India. Here is the video. Enjoy it with a cup of steaming coffee.
One can see in the video that Sooryavanshi is largely untroubled by Archer's pace. Except when the English fast bowler targets his rib cage area. There, Sooryavanshi looks a little crammed, unable to unleash a big shot. But the moment Archer is marginally offline, he is quick to pounce on it. One shot appears to have been pulled into the stands with perfect timing.
Sooryavanshi, youngest player in the world to score a List A century, shows a wide range of his shots. There is no part of the ground that has not been smashed through by the batter. If the ball is a bit short and wide, he can be seen cutting it past point. If it’s a bit full angling away, he smashes it through the covers. There are not many deliveries where he appears to be showing respect to the World Cup-winning bowler. Archer, on the other hand, looks in awe of his prodigiousness.
The bitter memories of last year!
Rajasthan Royals are today playing their second game of the season. They are up against Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. In their first match against CSK, they breezed to a comfortable win, thanks to a 17-ball 52 from Sooryavanshi.
Looking at the video, one can safely say that GT bowlers will have to be very careful against Sooryavanshi. He appears to be in the form of his life, and if he is allowed to get a move on, GT would be in trouble. The hosts would surely remember how last year, Sooryavanshi had smashed a 35-ball century against them and made light work of a rather big target.