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Rajasthan Royals (RR) couldn’t make it to the final but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the ‘Player of the series’, ‘Emerging Player of the season’ and other awards. Sooryavanshi has gradually established himself as a player who moulds his game as per match situation irrespective of his ability to hit big. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 2, Sooryavanshi got a taste of top-tier international cricket as Gujarat Titans (GT) adopted the bodyline bouncers ploy against him. A couple of days after the heartbreaking knockout game where he scored 96, Sooryavanshi met legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Sooryavanshi expressed his desire to play Test cricket and recalled how his father told him tales about a helmet-less Gavaskar facing bouncers from West Indies’ legendary pace quartet in order to motivate him.
"Already, my father has told me a lot about you," Sooryavanshi said in presence of Gavaskar after the IPL 2026 final. "When I used to practice on a cement wicket near my house, made by my father, he used to stand behind the nets. My height was not as much as it is today when I was very small. So, when I used to play a couple of good shots against bowlers, they bowled bouncers at me.
"I got frustrated a bit when they bowled bouncers, and he used to narrate your stories. He said, ‘There was a legend from our times. He used to pull the deadly bowlers of the West Indies for sixes without wearing a helmet’. That motivated me a lot. He kept on talking about you."
Sooryavanshi faced a barrage of bouncers from GT pace attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Jason Holder and Prasidh Krishna. All four of them have played Test cricket. One of the bouncers from Siraj hit him on the helmet and there was a concussion check on the field.
Amid Sooryavanshi’s debut talks, youngster to play in Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, there have been calls for Sooryavanshi to make his debut not just in T20Is but Test cricket as well. Legendary Sachin Tendulkar also expressed his desire to see the young southpaw play Test cricket but left the call to chief selector Ajit Agarkar. While, the T20I squads for UK tour are yet to be announced, Sooryavanshi will play One-Day cricket in tri-series on Sri Lanka soil for India A which also features Afghanistan A.
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