Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ended his second IPL season with staggering numbers, finishing with 776 runs in 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.31. His final outing in Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans was another reminder of his extraordinary talent, as the 15-year-old smashed 96 off 47 balls on a surface that offered real assistance to fast bowlers at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 29.

With Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Jason Holder getting the ball to seam and swing, the Titans’ pace attack created a difficult environment for batting. Yet Sooryavanshi stood out for the way he adapted, adjusted his shot selection and kept Rajasthan in the contest for as long as possible. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that although the youngster produced several special knocks across the tournament, it was this innings that impressed him the most.

“I’m actually disappointed. He played a lot of good knocks in this IPL and scored almost 800 runs, but the high point for me was his innings today,” Ravichandran Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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“Yes, he definitely had luck, but the wicket was helping the bowlers, and the bowlers were Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder, who have bowled really well in Test cricket. He got some luck against them, and there was a dropped catch. But the way he handled the pitch and changed his shots, he deserved better,” he added.

Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings helped Rajasthan Royals post 214/6 after they chose to bat first. But Gujarat Titans responded with authority, as Shubman Gill struck a brilliant century and Sai Sudharsan added an important fifty to guide GT to a seven-wicket win with eight balls remaining. Ashwin said the youngster’s body language after the match showed just how much the result hurt.

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“Rajasthan Royals let down that young boy’s incredible innings. Incredible innings is actually not enough words to explain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. If you looked at his face after the match, you could see disappointment,” Ravichandran Ashwin said. “The 15-year-old kid just has in his mind that he has to make his team win. Rajasthan Royals were not in the game right from the start. He was the one person who stood between RR losing and winning the game,” he added.