Pat Cummins found himself on the receiving end of a remarkable performance by 15-year-old Indian prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi as the Rajasthan Royals advanced to the finals of the Indian Premier League by eliminating the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Suryavanshi, batting first, delivered an extraordinary innings, scoring 97 runs off just 29 balls with 12 sixes. A significant portion of his score came off Cummins’ bowling, who ended up with figures of 0-64 from his four overs. The left-hander’s explosive strike rate left the Sunrisers captain visibly stunned.
Cummins had entered the match with a strategy to contain Suryavanshi using yorkers, but the young batsman quickly adapted. After navigating the initial deliveries, he began hitting the ball with increasing confidence, leading to a series of sixes. In total, Suryavanshi hit four of his 12 sixes off Cummins’ bowling, showcasing his ability to capitalize on even the slightest mistakes.
Cummins acknowledged Suryavanshi’s performance after the game, saying, “Yeah, he played pretty well, don’t feel like you have too many options.” He also noted that the pitch was favorable but highlighted the razor-thin margins in T20 cricket. “You miss your yorker by a little bit, he doesn’t tend to miss them. So yeah, fair play.”
Suryavanshi was on the verge of achieving the fastest century in IPL history when he was dismissed. However, he admitted he wasn’t focused on personal milestones at the time. “I found out only after I got out,” he said. “At that time, my only focus was to contribute as much as I could because centuries will keep happening, but right now, the focus is on how to win the trophy.”
The Rajasthan Royals, under the guidance of coach Kumar Sangakkara, have managed Suryavanshi exceptionally well. They’ve provided him with ample practice opportunities while avoiding overwhelming him with too many instructions.
“‘That’s the thing, we don’t have any conversations,’ said captain Riyan Parag. “Just leave him alone, let him go and have fun. He likes batting, so we get him a lot of batting practice at the nets and stuff like that, and then he goes out and does his thing.”
Cummins is set to return home for rest and pre-season preparations ahead of a demanding Test schedule over the next 12 months, starting with two Tests against Bangladesh in northern Australia in August.
Suryavanshi’s performance has already made history, surpassing Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single IPL tournament. With 65 sixes in just 266 balls, he outperformed Gayle’s 59 sixes in 456 balls.
Aaron Finch, who has observed Suryavanshi’s approach during the tournament, praised the Rajasthan Royals for managing the young star effectively. “I haven’t seen him do too many interviews at games, either pre- or post-match, unless he’s won an award,” Finch said. “So I haven’t seen him exposed too much in that regard, and that’s a huge tick to the Royals for really managing him well and almost treating him like a kid up to a point.”
Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad faced challenges in their chase for a daunting target of 244 runs. England’s Jofra Archer proved instrumental in dismantling their innings, taking three wickets for 58 runs. His fast bowling saw Travis Head clean bowled, marking a key moment in the match.
Archer, who has been impressed by Suryavanshi’s potential, predicted that the young batsman would soon score 150-plus in a T20 innings.
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