I look at the ball not the bowler: Sooryavanshi on tackling pacers

 

The other day, it was Jasprit Bumrah. On Friday, Josh Hazlewood bore the brunt of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s blazing blade, as the 15-year-old insisted that he “plays the ball” and “not the bowler”.

Sooryavanshi smashed 78 off just 26 balls as Rajasthan Royals chased down Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s total of 201 with two overs to spare.

“I try to execute what I practice and back my natural game.

Yes, at the back of your mind, you know who the bowler (Bumrah or Hazlewood) is but you play the ball not the bowler,” said Sooryavanshi, who hit the star Aussie for three boundaries and a six off four successive deliveries.

Having seen instant superstardom, Sooryavanshi said that his feet are firmly rooted to the ground with his father Sanjiv and RR support Romi Bhinder always around him with sane suggestions.

“They always tell me that it is a long journey and my focus should only and only be on the game,” he said.

He did admit that he was upset at getting out at 78 as his team lost out on crucial runs. “My thinking is that had I been around, I could have scored 20.