"Vaibhav is 15 but very mature": Sangakkara praises Sooryavanshi's fearless 96

"Vaibhav is 15 years old, but very mature": Sangakkara on Sooryavanshi's knock against GT in Q2

Chandigarh, May 30

Among them is Rajasthan Royals' Director of Cricket and Head Coach, Kumar Sangakkara, who heaped praises for the 15-year-old batter after his 96-run knock in a do-or-die clash.

Addressing the media during the post-match press conference, Sangakkara talked about his brilliant knock in a pressure situation, his possible India call-up and how he coaches the teenager.

Speaking about Sooryavanshi's knock, Sangakkara said, "I thought he batted brilliantly. It was a much tougher batting innings with wickets falling around him, and he held his nerve and really got us to a defendable total. Vaibhav is 15 years old, but he's very mature. He reads the game really well, he reads situations well, and he's got no fear."

He further added, "I think we are very, very proud of the season that he's had, and we just want to make sure that he keeps going, keeps that intent, keeps that no-fear attitude and keeps growing. I think he's going to be even better as the years go by."

RR opener is the leading run-scorer of the season with 776 runs in 16 matches. He has made runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.31 with the help of 63 fours and 72 sixes.

He also completed his 1,000 IPL runs, becoming the fastest in terms of balls taken, in just 440 balls, outclassing West Indies legend Andre Russell and being the second fastest in terms of innings, having reached the milestone in just 23 innings, with Shaun Marsh (21 innings) being the quickest.

There are talks of Sooryavanshi's India call-up, and with the Ireland T20I series lined up for next month, the chances for the teenager's inclusion in the national T20I squad look favourable.

Talking about Sooryavanshi's possible India call-up, RR head coach said, "You never know if anyone's ready until they play them. And with everything Vaibhav has shown against some of the best bowlers in the world, I think he's more than ready to take on any challenge that you throw at him. And I'm sure that he'll get that call-up very, very soon. He's batted with a lot of maturity; he shouldered the responsibility of that opening partnership so well for us this season."

After GT put RR to bat first, a fine knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (96 in 47 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes) and a cameo from Donovan Ferreira (38* in 11 balls, with two fours and four sixes) took the Royals to 214/6 in 20 overs.

Later in the chase of 215 runs, skipper Shubman Gill (104 in 53 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes) and his 167-run stand with Sai Sudharsan (58 in 32 balls, with eight fours and a six) set the platform for a three-wicket win.

This was the highest target chased in the IPL playoffs, outdoing the target of 204 chased by Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Mumbai Indians (MI) in last year's Qualifier two. This is also GT's highest IPL run-chase, outdoing their 204-run chase against Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2025.

On his approach for coaching Sooryavanshi, the Sri Lankan legend said, "Every person is different. Coaching at this level is not always just technical input. It's a lot about managing them, managing their personalities, their mental state, keeping them fresh, keeping them really happy to come and play, keeping the team together, really getting to know each other. Those connections are really important. So whether it's Vaibhav or anyone else, it's really about understanding that person first. They've got enough skill, that's why they're here."

"And if there are any inputs that they need in any way, technical, physical, mental, whatever it is, we kind of provide that for them. But we're also very careful. Overloading people with information is never good. So we keep things pretty simple when we can," he concluded.

— ANI