'If I had gone towards...': Sooryavanshi reveals how he missed fastest IPL century

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi erstwhile again stunned the cricketing satellite with a breathtaking innings successful the IPL 2026 Eliminator, and remarkably, adjacent during the innings itself, the teenage sensation looked wholly calm contempt the enormity of the occasion. Speaking to the broadcasters during the mid-innings interruption aft smashing 97 disconnected conscionable 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Rajasthan Royals opener revealed that helium ne'er allowed the unit of a knockout crippled to impact his approach.

Facing a bowling onslaught led by Pat Cummins, Sooryavanshi unleashed a brutal battle that included 12 towering sixes and astir saw him interruption Chris Gayle’s iconic grounds for the fastest IPL century. Despite the monolithic signifier and the chaos helium created astatine the crease, Sooryavanshi said his coaches had lone 1 connection for him earlier the match. “(Did it ever onslaught you that this is simply a knockout game, a large match?) No, it was determination successful my mind, but each the coaches told maine to bash precisely what I’ve been doing successful practice, bask the game, and not instrumentality unit successful this match.” The teen looked unstoppable passim his enactment astatine the crease, taking isolated astir each SRH bowler connected a batting-friendly surface. Cummins and the SRH enactment radical were repeatedly forced into discussions aft astir each boundary, but Sooryavanshi continued to onslaught fearlessly.

When asked by the broadcaster whether the boundaries felt excessively tiny during his unbelievable six-hitting spree, the youngster gave a elemental response. “(Were the boundaries a spot excessively tiny for you?) No sir.” Sooryavanshi besides admitted during the mid-innings interrogation that helium believed Rajasthan Royals inactive near runs down contempt posting a monolithic 243 for 8. “(From your perspective, is 243 a small beneath par oregon decent enough?) No, adjacent aft I got out, it inactive felt it was imaginable to people 260+.

But now, immoderate people we have, we volition look to support it and execute immoderate plans we have.” The RR opener narrowly missed retired connected a period aft getting caught astatine 3rd antheral disconnected Praful Hinge successful the eighth over, falling conscionable 3 runs abbreviated of what could person been 1 of the top IPL innings ever played. Explaining the dismissal, Sooryavanshi admitted helium tried to alteration his changeable aft spotting the fielder. “(Was the period connected your mind?) I wasn’t truly reasoning astir it similar that, but I played that changeable aft looking astatine the fielder, and that’s wherefore I mistimed it. If I had gone towards 3rd man, it would person cleared easily. But I tried to deed it straight, and that’s wherefore I missed the shot.” Even without the century, the innings rewrote respective IPL records. Sooryavanshi broke Gayle’s 14-year-old grounds for the astir sixes successful a azygous IPL play and present has 65 sixes successful IPL 2026.