A kid bashed grown-up men, beat them to a pulp literally.
That’s what happened in Jaipur on Monday as 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi hammered an army of experienced bowlers, including some of India’s Test-match players, to emerge as the youngest to score a century in men’s T20 cricket.
The Rajasthan Royals couldn’t have asked for anything better in the first of their must-win games to keep their playoffs hopes alive. Thanks to teenager Suryavanshi’s 101 off 38 balls, the Royals romped to an eight-wicket win over the Gujarat Titans, taking only 15.5 overs to overhaul the opposition’s 209/4.
Suryavanshi had given a glimpse of his stroke-making ability and fearlessness at the same venue against the Lucknow Super Giants a few days back. But on this occasion, he was unstoppable.
With a tremendous batswing and impressive hand-eye coordination, Suryavanshi was dismissive of anything pitched in his arc. His timing too was mostly perfect.
None of the Titans bowlers — be it Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, or even ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan (who led the Titans during the run chase as regular captain Shubman Gill wasn’t on the field owing to a back spasm) — could pose any threat to the left-hander.
The Titans’ Impact Player Ishant Sharma would like to forget this game very soon, conceding 28 off his second over. So would Afghanistan’s Karim Janat, who went for three fours and as many sixes off the only over he bowled.
The six over deep mid-wicket that took the teenager to his maiden T20 ton
off Rashid’s bowling was just the icing on the cake for Suryavanshi, who reached the
landmark off just 35 balls, being the fastest Indian (second fastest overall) to score an IPL hundred.
Credit also has to go to his senior partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal (70 not out off 40 balls), for remaining composed during their 166-run opening stand inside 12 overs. Jaiswal, though, got a reprieve on two when Jos Buttler grassed a chance off Ishant’s bowling.
Earlier, openers Sai Sudharsan (39) and Gill (84), along with Buttler (50 not out), powered the Titans past 200 after they were put in. The trio
batted well, hitting nine
sixes between them. But Suryavanshi outdid them, smashing 11 sixes during his magical innings.