Facing Bumrah for the first time, Sooryavanshi smashed a full delivery straight over long-on for a six.
The game was reduced to 11 over-a-side as it started after nearly three hours due to rain at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Facing Bumrah for the first time, Sooryavanshi smashed a full delivery straight over long-on for a six, a feat that caused the pacer to react with a smile. In the same over, the southpaw hit a second six off a slower, shortish delivery, pulling it deep into the stands over backward square leg.
Sooryavanshi’s audacity to hit sixes against Bumrah drew high praise from former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who described the teenager as a "destiny's child."
“Sooryavanshi is a destiny’s child. What he is doing at 15 in white-ball cricket, I don’t think we have ever seen anyone do this. He hit Bumrah on the very first ball,” Pathan said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
“The way Bumrah had no plans visible, the way he moved to the slower one – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has forced even Bumrah to think. In white-ball cricket, India has not found a bowler like Bumrah. He is a GOAT. And this feat has been achieved against him. Whatever bowler comes in front, he does not watch his action, does not think too much. He only watches the ball. If he gets it, he hits it. This thinking makes him very special,” he added.
Sooryavanshi scored a quickfire 39 off 14 balls (1 four and 5 sixes) against MI, which helped RR post a formidable total of 150/3 on the board. This followed his 15-ball fifty against CSK in the campaign opener and 18-ball 31 versus GT.
Looking at his fearlessness, Pathan called for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to be fast-tracked into the senior Indian men’s team.
According to him, the left-hander should be eased into international cricket through the heavy T20 schedule.
“Don’t make this boy wait too long. Give him the Indian team cap. Imagine – this boy can play 20 years of professional cricket. This is scary for bowlers,” Pathan remarked.
Coming to the match, Rajasthan Royals outclassed Mumbai Indians by 27 runs in the rain-affected fixture to move to the top of the points table.
Chasing a steep target of 151, MI’s top-order collapsed to 22/3. Despite resistance from Naman Dhir and Sherfane Rutherford (both scoring 25), they finished at 123/9.