Sooryavanshi narrowly missed Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest IPL century in the Eliminator.
After being put into bat, Sooryavanshi launched a brutal assault on the SRH bowling attack right from the first over. He made full use of the powerplay, reaching his half-century in just 16 balls.
The 15-year-old continued his carnage after the half-century, but missed out on the three-figure mark by just three runs. Sitting on 97 runs off 28 deliveries, he needed a boundary on the very next ball to eclipse Chris Gayle's 30-ball hundred record set back in 2013.
Instead of finding the boundary, Sooryavanshi attempted an upper-cut against a wide bouncer from Praful Hinge, top-edging the ball straight to Smaran Ravichandran at deep third man.
Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind knock was studded with 5 fours and 12 sixes. As a result, he surpassed Gayle's long-standing tally of 59 sixes in an IPL season. By the end of his explosive innings, the youngster had 65 sixes to his credit in this year's IPL.
Speaking on JioStar, former South African captain AB de Villiers showered rich praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, citing that the opener's game awareness at the age of just 15 is 'remarkable'.
For de Villiers, the most impressive bit about Sooryavanshi’s knock was not just the shot-making but the maturity and calmness he displayed in a high-pressure knockout game.
“What stood out most about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's innings was his composure and clarity under pressure at just 15 years of age. Pat Cummins and Sunrisers Hyderabad kept trying different plans, constantly changing the field and mixing their lengths to disrupt his rhythm, but he stayed completely locked into his own bubble throughout the innings. That level of game awareness in a knockout match is remarkable for someone so young,” de Villiers said.
“Whether they bowled short or tried to surprise him with fuller deliveries, he seemed prepared for every plan and was in control against all of them. Scoring 97 off just 29 balls in an Eliminator, while dominating all parts of the ground, was an extraordinary display of fearless batting and showed why he is already being spoken about alongside some of the most explosive players the IPL has seen,” he added.
De Villiers also commended the teenager’s preparation and mental routines before matches, saying that aspect of his game reflects unusual maturity for a player of his age.
“What's most impressive about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the clarity he already has around his preparation and routines at just 15 years of age. Hearing him talk about visualising match-ups, studying bowlers, and mentally preparing before games shows a level of maturity that is very rare at that age,” the former RCB batter said.
AB de Villiers went on to compare Sooryavanshi's on-pitch visualization to legendary Australian opener Matthew Hayden.
“It actually reminded me a little of Matthew Hayden, who used to spend time visualising on the pitch before batting. Over the course of his career, many of those routines will evolve, but the important thing is that Vaibhav is already building his own habits and processes instead of trying to copy others,” the Proteas great stated.
De Villiers noted that instead of copying others, Sooryavanshi is authentically building his own processes and habits -- a rare and vital trait for long-term success.
"The best players in the world eventually discover what works authentically for them, and Vaibhav already seems to have that understanding very early in his journey," he concluded.
Riding on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 97, RR racked up a massive 243/8 on the board and then bowled out SRH for 196 in 19.2 overs to win the contest by 47 runs. The Royals will now face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 29).