Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL Performance
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has amassed 404 runs with an impressive strike-rate of 237.64 in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
Few have observed the rise of cricket's 15-year-old prodigy Sooryavanshi more closely than former England all-rounder Mike Yardy.
Yardy was in the opposing dugout when Sooryavanshi, then just 12 years old, represented India against England in an under-19 series.
He later coached the young left-hander during his tour of England last summer, where Sooryavanshi scored 143 in the fourth 50-over match in Worcester, and again witnessed his remarkable innings of 175 from 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final in February.
"Not really, no," Yardy tells .
Yardy's response is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it highlights a question now facing the cricketing world.
Sooryavanshi, a batter who is not old enough to leave school in many countries and who used to travel three hours to the nearest major city for coaching at age eight, is currently dismantling some of the best bowlers globally.
"The talent he has got, I don't know what to predict because I have never seen anything quite like it," Yardy says.
A 'Unique' Bat Swing: What Makes Sooryavanshi Exceptional?
Any notion that Sooryavanshi's 12 months of white-ball success culminating in the Under-19 World Cup final performance was a fluke has been dispelled by his exploits in this year's IPL.
The Rajasthan Royals opener followed his 35-ball century as a 14-year-old in last year's tournament—making him the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket—with a 36-ball century against Pat Cummins' Sunrisers Hyderabad two weeks ago.
The pace of these two centuries has only been surpassed by West Indies T20 legend Chris Gayle in the IPL.
Like Gayle, Sooryavanshi's innings are characterized by powerful boundary hitting, though his approach differs.
He employs a high yet unconventional and whippy bat swing, where his hands move away from his body as the bowler releases the ball. He generates power as the bat swings back through the line to make contact.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently speculated whether Sooryavanshi could become the "greatest striker of a cricket ball of all time."
"His bat swing is quite unique," says former India international Deep Dasgupta, who has observed the teenager's rise through IPL commentary.
"It is not a taught bat swing. Batters go straight up and straight down - a linear path. This is more circular and wristy."
Sooryavanshi begins in a conventional left-hander's stance.
He also has a high back lift, reminiscent of his batting hero Brian Lara.
Despite the circular swing, his bat comes through straight rather than diagonally.
The motion combined with a snap of the wrists produces hand speed, resulting in Sooryavanshi's extraordinary six-hitting ability.
He has hit 61 sixes in 17 IPL innings, just three fewer than former England captain Eoin Morgan's tally in 75 innings in the tournament.
India great Jasprit Bumrah, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, and New Zealand swing bowler Trent Boult have all been dispatched over the ropes by Sooryavanshi this season.
While his most profitable shot is categorized by CricViz as a 'slog' and often lacks traditional technique, his striking is remarkable for its consistency, cleanliness, and distance.
"He gets a full flow and gets everything out of his bat swing but is then able to hold a really consistent base with his feet into the ground, with balance and keeping his head still," Yardy explains.
"I think there is a unique talent to it. You have got to have an extraordinary gift to do that."
'Why Hit a Single When You Can Hit Six?': The Making of a Teen IPL Star
Is There Really No Weakness? What the Stats Reveal
In addition to his century in this year's IPL, Sooryavanshi has scored 52 runs from 17 balls against Chennai Super Kings, a 26-ball 78 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and four other scores above 30 in his 10 innings.
He ranks as the fifth highest run-scorer in the tournament, with the second highest strike-rate.
"The fact he is so consistent tells me his shot selection is more often than not right," Dasgupta says.
"I was talking to a few of the other coaches at [Rajasthan] and obviously he has got the skillset. I was pleasantly surprised when they mentioned he is very sharp and has a good cricket IQ."
An astute cricketing mind combined with an extraordinary ability to hit sixes presents a significant challenge for opposing teams, which must now devise strategies to counter him.
This IPL season has seen a slight increase—from 32% to 39% according to CricViz—in bowlers targeting the stumps to restrict his scoring opportunities.
"A lot of people have started targeting the stumps," Dasgupta notes.
"If you have a whippy or circular bat swing like his, the downswing is important.
When the bat swing does not come down straight and comes down diagonally, there is a chance there will be a gap between bat and pad.
That is one area he has to make sure."
Dasgupta also highlights a particular innings where Sooryavanshi scored eight runs from 11 balls against Lucknow Super Giants, which included five consecutive dot balls before a sliced high catch off left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan.
This was one of the few instances this year where bowlers tested the teenager with significant swing bowling.
"That's where he was found a little wanting because he doesn't move his feet a lot," Dasgupta explains.
"He will obviously get better with experience and practice but those are the areas where he might want to look at and work on."
The majority of Sooryavanshi's sixes this year have been hit over the leg side.
Should Sooryavanshi Tour England?
Despite these challenges, both Dasgupta and Yardy believe Sooryavanshi has the talent to succeed in red-ball cricket in the future.
Although his first-class average stands at 17.25 from eight matches for Bihar, having debuted at age 12, he has scored two centuries in under-19 Tests against Australia.
"He is doing things now that players double his age are doing," Yardy says.
"You imagine, if he keeps going the way he is, he can play all formats of international cricket."
Dasgupta adds: "What people notice are the fours and sixes but he does not hit every ball for a four or six. He does defend as well.
He has a good defence as well and a good technique."
As the only uncapped player in the top 10 of the IPL run-scoring list this year, speculation has arisen about a possible international call-up as soon as this summer.
In June, England will host India for a five-match T20 series. Could Sooryavanshi be included in the squad of the reigning world champions?
Displacing established openers such as Abhishek Sharma, the top-ranked T20 batter globally, and Sanju Samson, India's key player in this year's World Cup semi-final and final, would be a significant challenge.
"It is a valid question with the way he has played," Dasgupta acknowledges.
"The other side of playing international cricket and having a long career is whether you are mentally ready for the rigours.
The people in the system have a duty of care to make sure this talent is handled and mentored properly.
He should be part of the set-up, not necessarily push him into playing straight away, but keep him in the set-up, let him grow in that environment of international cricket and if possible maybe play one game here."
Similar questions may soon face Yardy, with Somerset's Thomas Rew, his under-19 captain, already being touted as a future senior England star.
"As much as it is great to give young players an opportunity you want to make sure they have a deep confidence they can do it," Yardy says.
"I am sure [Sooryavanshi] has a very deep confidence in what he is doing now but generally when players go up you don't want them to be thinking 'I don't belong here'."
Yardy does not shy away from promoting young talent to the highest levels.
"You see it in all sports," Yardy remarks. "Max Dowman is playing for Arsenal at 15.
Young people are generally developing quicker in all sports now, through higher level facilities and more exposure to coaching - technical, tactical and physical.
From a coaching point of view we have to make sure we are not getting caught looking back on how it was 15 years ago, when players were coming through at 19, 20.
If players are physically strong enough and mentally can deal with situations it is not a worry with age really."
Sooryavanshi's 175 in India's victory in the Under-19 World Cup final included 15 fours and 15 sixes.
