Former India pacer Irfan Pathan believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would make bowlers fearful in the same way as West Indies marauder Chris Gayle did during his prime.
The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batter hit a 38-ball 93 on Wednesday night against the Lucknow Super Giants, which included seven fours and ten sixes. Even though his team was chasing a steep 221, the brutal hitting led them to an easy seven-wicket victory.
“It is very difficult to stop him. In his first 10 balls, he was batting at a strike rate of less than 100, and by the end of the innings, he had scored 93 runs off just 38 balls,” PTI quoted Pathan as saying on ‘JioHotstar’.
“With 53 sixes, he is actually going after Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes, which has stood since 2012. As bowlers, we were always scared of facing Chris Gayle. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is creating that same fear, and Gayle’s record is definitely in danger,” he added.
Sanjay Bangar, another former Indian cricketer, claimed he was at a loss for words when describing Sooryavanshi’s skill. “Can’t really explain it; words are not sufficient. They can’t do justice to the kind of ability this young boy, this young prodigy, possesses. Some of those shots were extraordinary, to say the least,” he said.
“He put on a masterclass, a sensational Vaibhav Suryavanshi innings indeed. Terrific to watch, great entertainment. And he is definitely going to draw crowds wherever he goes and wherever he plays,” he added.
For his performance, Sooryavanshi was named player of the match—his third individual award of the season.
