Almost half an hour after Rajasthan Royals had begun their nets session on Saturday, Vaibhav Suryavanshi emerged from the dressing room to an uproar from the smattering of onlookers at Eden Gardens.
Cricket’s newest whizz-kid did a bit of knocking in one of the practice nets before standing up against the team’s throw-down specialists and the bowlers on a wicket adjoining the main square.
When one of the pacers decided to test him with a short delivery, he was quickly into position for the upper cut. The way he swiftly moved outside the off stump to a wide delivery for the ramp shot behind the wicketkeeper bore ominous signs for KKR.
The 14-year-old Suryavanshi’s 101 off 35 balls against Gujarat Titans has sent the whole cricketing world into a frenzy with most comparing him to Sachin Tendulkar’s Test debut at 16. The game loves fresh-faced prodigies with flair and technique and Suryavanshi’s fearless approach has already gifted him a cult status.
How he handles the pressure and expectations and performs in his second season after every other team’s backroom staff have analysed his strengths and weaknesses will be followed closely.
He has had a taste of the harsh reality in the very next match following his momentous innings, falling to a second-ball duck against Mumbai Indians.
Having handled Rashid Khan with poise, it will be interesting to see how he fares against the mystery spin of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
“He’s sort of got a bit of a licence to go out and just play,” Royals’ bowling coach Shane Bond said on Saturday. “He’s done an amazing job so far... He’ll just come out and play again tomorrow.”
Nets done, Suryavanshi decided to drop in at KKR’s practice to seek Chandrakant Pandit’s blessings.
His coach Manish Ojha and father Sanjeev will be present at the ground on Sunday. With a prayer for KKR on their lips, the Eden too will be waiting for Suryavanshi to explode.
