Gujarat Titans must not have forgotten what happened when they faced Rajasthan Royals last year in the IPL. A 14-year-old kid, named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, blitzed a 35-ball hundred to flatten the Titans.
A year on, Sooryavanshi still qualifies to be called a kid, but has grown in leaps and bounds in terms of his batting. He looks more menacing, more destructive and, perhaps, has more shots in his armoury.
Will he play another blinder for the Royals when they take on the Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday? He may, or may be he won’t, because his risky game, even though exciting and entertaining to watch, also carries a big weight of uncertainty which can pull him down any time.
Besides the Sooryavanshi factor, the Royals will have more confidence in their strides as they have begun the season with a statement-making win over the Chennai Super Kings. The titans, on the other hand, fell to the Punjab Kings in their first match.
As a team, the Royals look stronger. For the Titans to tame their opponents on Saturday, their top three of captain Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler will have to take the lead. That’s easier said than done, though.