Sooryavanshi is going to be as feared as Gayle: Irfan

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will instill the same fear in the bowlers’ minds that West Indian marauder Chris Gayle had managed to do in his prime, according to former India pacer Irfan Pathan.

Sooryavanshi, with 53 sixes in the ongoing IPL, is within touching distance of the record 59 that Gayle struck in the 2012 season.

On Wednesday night against Lucknow Super Giants, the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batter hammered a 38-ball 93 that was dotted with 10 maximums and seven fours. The brutal knock steered his team to a facile seven-wicket win despite being in pursuit of a steep 221.

“It is very difficult to stop him. In his first 10 balls, he was batting at a strike rate of less than 100, and by the end of the innings, he had scored 93 runs off just 38 balls,” Pathan said on ‘JioHotstar’.

“With 53 sixes, he is actually going after Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes, which has stood since 2012. As bowlers, we were always scared of facing Chris Gayle. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is creating that same fear, and Gayle’s record is definitely in danger,” he added.

Another former India player, Sanjay Bangar, said he does not have words to describe Sooryavanshi’s talent.

“Can’t really explain it; words are not sufficient. They can’t do justice to the kind of ability this young boy, this young prodigy, possesses. Some of those shots were extraordinary, to say the least,” he said.

“He put on a masterclass, a sensational Vaibhav Suryavanshi innings indeed. Terrific to watch, great entertainment. And he is definitely going to draw crowds wherever he goes and wherever he plays,” he added.

Sooryavanshi was adjudged player of the match for his performance, his third such individual honour this season.