In his very first IPL playoff appearance, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came within one shot of creating history.

Not just any history, either. The Rajasthan Royals prodigy fell agonisingly short of registering the fastest century the IPL has ever seen, missing out by just three runs in a breath-taking innings that completely dismantled Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh.

Before the match, much of the build-up had revolved around one question: how would cricket’s teenage sensation cope with the pressure of a knockout game?

The answer arrived quickly. Brutally quickly.

Within a couple of overs, Sooryavanshi had made it abundantly clear that he was not intimidated by Pat Cummins, nor by the occasion, nor by the experienced SRH attack standing in front of him. If anything, he seemed determined to take them apart ball by ball.

And that is exactly what he did.

Did you see Sooryavanshi’s reaction after he got out on 97? The teenager practically dragged himself off the pitch, devastated at having missed Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest IPL hundred. It was impossible not to sympathise with him. He knew what had slipped away. One more clean strike and his name would have stood alone in IPL folklore.

But step back for a moment and look at what he had already achieved.

Sooryavanshi blasted 97 off just 29 balls at a strike rate of 334. The Royals had raced to 125 when he departed, and 97 of those runs had come from his bat alone. In the process, he also broke Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single IPL season, underlining the astonishing power-hitting ability that has made him the breakout story of this tournament.

For a while, it felt as though SRH were bowling on a different pitch entirely. Length deliveries disappeared into the stands. Good balls were treated with contempt. Even Cummins, one of the smartest fast bowlers in world cricket, looked short of answers. His decision to field first rapidly began to resemble a tactical blunder as RR threatened to surge past 260.

Most importantly, Sooryavanshi had already placed them firmly on course for victory. 

Which raises the obvious question: is 97 off 29 really any less than a century?

Technically, yes. Scorebooks are unforgiving. But in terms of impact, intimidation and influence over the contest, this innings felt every bit as significant as a hundred. By the time Sooryavanshi departed, the match already appeared to have tilted decisively in Rajasthan’s favour.

Of course he was disappointed. This is a teenager who has openly spoken about wanting to surpass Gayle’s legendary T20 score of 175. He came within one shot of taking the fastest IPL hundred record away from the Universe Boss himself. Players driven by greatness remember those missed opportunities.

But there is every reason to believe he will have many more chances.

Because Sooryavanshi does not look like a passing sensation. He looks like one of those once-in-a-generation talents who alter the way the game is played. Since Sachin Tendulkar emerged as a 15-year-old phenomenon, it is difficult to remember another Indian teenager capable of influencing matches quite like this.

And perhaps the most telling story about him remains the one from his childhood, when he reportedly asked his coach why he needed to run ones and twos off deliveries that could simply be hit for six.

It sounded amusing then. Now it sounds prophetic.

What makes this innings even more remarkable is the context. This was not a flat-track assault against mediocre bowling in a dead rubber. Vaibhav has now scored heavily on surfaces where established stars such as Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Travis Head, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Aiden Markram and Rishabh Pant have struggled. This innings drew a thick black line under his name.

Yes, Rajasthan slowed down after his dismissal, but 243/8 still proved far too much for SRH. Jofra Archer effectively ended hopes of a record chase inside the powerplay, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck before removing Ishan Kishan and Travis Head in a devastating opening spell. In between, Nandre Burger accounted for Ravichandran Smaran as SRH crashed to 57/4 inside five overs.

That collapse left even Heinrich Klaasen with too much to do. Rajasthan now move on to Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans, with a place in the final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at stake.

And after what Vaibhav just did to SRH’s attack, you would not bet against him taking apart an even stronger bowling line-up next.