Rajasthan Royals' (RR) 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi batted in his typical fashion against Delhi Capitals (DC). After a single-digit score in the previous game, he took on Mitchell Starc’s pace, hitting him for a huge six. Sooryavanshi got an early reprieve as Sameer Rizvi dropped his catch off debutant Tripurna Vijay's bowling in the fifth over. But, Sooryavanshi missed his half-century as Madhav Tiwari got rid of him with a slower ball. As the teenager has been dismissed off the slower ball a few times, RR batting coach Vikram Rathour was asked whether it is developing into his weakness. Rathour brushed aside any concerns and dared other bowlers to try the same against the menacing southpaw.
“Nobody is perfect. Everybody will have some weakness here and there. Slow ball isn’t a weakness for Vaibhav. I will want bowlers to try that. On a wicket like this, where the ball is gripping a bit, a change of pace is good against anybody,” Rathour said in the post-match press conference.
Sooryavanshi departed for a 21-ball 46. While Rathour has no issues about the youngster’s approach, he hopes that the in-form batter converts start into a big score.
“It’s not only Vaibav who is a special player. I think enough has been said about his ability and how good he is. So, again, he’s provided us a really good start, looking at the surface again. I just hope he converts one inning and goes deeper.
“And the way he’s batting, the way he prepares, I’m sure that’s not too far off. We’ll see one of those innings which he’ll really convert and play a big knock. But otherwise, we are pretty happy with the way he’s batting and we want him to bat that way,” Rathour added.
Rathour wants Sooryavanshi to back his strength
Rathour does not want Sooryavanshi to curb his natural instinct to attack. He wants him to play his strengths. The former India batting coach used Virat Kohli’s example to make his point.
“If you back your strengths and play to your strengths, you can score runs. Dhruv [Jurel] need not bat like Vaibhav. Vaibhav shouldn’t look to bat like Dhruv. They have their own ways of scoring runs,” said Rathour.
“If they keep backing that and keep believing in their ability, they can succeed easily. You have seen that happening. Somebody like Virat, who is still extremely successful, even in this format. I wouldn’t call him an out-and-out power-hitting player. That tells you that there is scope for everybody to succeed, provided you have belief in your abilities,” the 57-year-old added.
Sooryavanshi’s next game
Sooryavanshi will be seen in action when RR go up against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in home clash on May 19. It is a must-win clash for RR as the race for playoffs intensifies. After the five-wicket defeat to DC, they slipped to sixth place on the points table with a net run rate (NRR) equal to Chennai Super Kings (CSK).