A half-century against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) marked the end of Vaibhav Suryavanshi's first Indian Premier League (IPL) season. His 57-run knock off 33 balls gave the Rajasthan Royals (RR) a strong start to their 188-run chase at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which was eventually wrapped with 17 balls to spare. When the teams engaged in the post-match rituals, the 14-year-old captured hearts by touching Mahendra Singh Dhoni's feet. Suryavanshi finished the season with 252 runs from seven innings, which featured a record century and a half-century.
Taking note of Suryavanshi's remarkable display, the 14-year-old joined India cricket icon Rahul Dravid, who is also the chief coach of RR, for a candid interview. During the interaction, Dravid asked Suryavanshi about the moment when he smashed the second-fastest century in IPL history. The teenager achieved the feat against the Gujarat Titans in just 35 balls.
“There were more than 500 missed calls. But I’ve switched off the phone,” Suryavanshi said with his hand on his forehead.
Dravid also asked how many people tried to get in touch with him after the historic feat, to which Suryavanshi responded: “A lot of people approached me after the century, but I don’t like that a lot. I kept my phone switched off for 2-4 days. I don’t like having too many people around. Just my family and a few friends, that’s enough.”
When Dravid asked him about the learnings he takes from the season, the teenager said: “Stay focussed. And more than natural game, play as per the needs of the team. Don’t try to do too much extra, just stick to your strengths.”
During the post-match presentation, captain Sanju Samson commended Suryavanshi's game awareness. “When the middle overs were going on, he was smart in picking his options, it’s a stunning combination, having that potential and game awareness,” Samson said.
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