‘This freedom allows him to play the way he does’ – Sachin Tendulkar analyses Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s game after whirlwind knock in Eliminator

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was effusive in his praise for young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old smashed 97 off just 29 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, May 27. Thanks to his whirlwind knock, the Rajasthan Royals posted a mammoth total of 243/8 after Pat Cummins won the toss and invited them to bat first.

During his epic knock, Sooryavanshi amassed a half-century in just 16 balls. He hit three sixes and a four in the third over, bowled by Pat Cummins, and in the following over, he hit Sakib Hussain for three more sixes. Sooryavanshi reached 97 off just 28 balls. He was a boundary away from breaking Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest century in the IPL. The legendary Caribbean batter brought up the milestone in 30 balls in IPL 2013. However, the Bihar batter holed out at deep third man and was understandably distraught.

Sachin Tendulkar took to social media and lauded Sooryavanshi’s batting. The former India skipper also highlighted how the 15-year-old clears his front leg to hit sixes on the leg-side. Tendulkar concluded by calling the innings “spectacular”.

“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s bat swing has been outstanding. What’s even more remarkable is how beautifully he clears his front foot to create room for balls aimed at his legs. This freedom allows him to play the way he does. That innings was nothing short of spectacular!” Sachin wrote on his official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle.

With the help of his mind-boggling knock, Sooryavanshi climbed to the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard. He now has 680 runs from 15 innings at a staggering strike rate of 242.86.