Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra hailed Vaibhav Suryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals registered a comprehensive 27-run win against Mumbai Indians at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Tuesday.
Suryavanshi smashed MI’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for a first-ball six and then took the gun fast bowler for another maximum in the same over.
The 15-year-old scored a blistering knock of 39 runs off just 14 balls with the help of one four and five sixes. The youngster scored his runs at a whirlwind strike rate of 278.57. Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 80 runs off just 30 balls for the opening alliance and played a key role in helping RR post 150 runs on the board in 11 overs.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “Who has hit Bumrah for the most sixes in powerplays? It’s Virat Kohli. He has hit three sixes in IPL history. He has played 40 balls, and a 15-year-old small kid came and hit a six off the first ball, and has already hit two sixes off five balls. His name is Vaibhav Suryavanshi.”
Chopra highlighted that the second six against Bumrah was hit on a good ball by the youngster.
“This small kid comes from Tejpur, went to Samastipur from there, reached the Indian stage from there, and now the world stage. He hit a six off the first ball. That was still a slightly loose ball, but the second six was a slightly difficult ball to play,” he observed.
The renowned commentator said sky is the limit for Suryavanshi and we don’t know how far he can go.
“We don’t know how far he can go. Our thought process has a limitation. You can only see or think as far as your thought process can. This guy is looking like AI to me. We have got no idea where AI will reach. AI is already driving cars, and might start flying planes or doing surgeries. He is that kind of kid. We have no idea how big his upside is because he is just 15 years old,” he said.
Chopra said the youngster is expected to keep improving his game and backed him to play for another two decades.
“The scariest thing for the bowlers is that he has a 20-year career left. When you realize that he will keep playing like this for 20 years, and will do an upgrade as well, might develop new shots, because if he is like this at 15, he will be something different at 25, then you say, Wow, boss. He is Suryavanshi. I don’t know if he is from the same lineage. We have already read enough about Suryavanshi,” Chopra observed.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Friday.
