"You'll Get Him Out": Sunil Gavaskar Finds 'Weakness' In Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Batting After He Misses 3rd IPL Ton
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got caught at third man again and missed out on a third IPL ton during GT vs RR Qualifier 2
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 96 off 46 balls in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans
- Sooryavanshi was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada caught at third man attempting an upper cut
- "If he's in the 90s, bowl a short ball, keep a deep third, and you'll get him out," Sunil Gavaskar said
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slammed 97 off 29 balls in Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2026 Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He fell three short of Chris Gayle's record fastest IPL ton (30). On Friday, Sooryavanshi got another chance in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans. He reached 96 off 46 balls and it seemed like the 15-year-old wonderkid would taste his third IPL ton in just his second season. It was not to be as he got out.
In the 18th over by Kagiso Rabada, Sooryavanshi was caught by Prasidh Krishna. And yet again, just like the previous match, he holed one out to third man. The delivery was short and outside off, and Sooryavanshi attempted a similar shot to the Eliminator, the upper cut, and mistimed it, hitting it high in the air.
Is it a weakness that the bowlers would exploit in the future? India great Sunil Gavaskar thinks so. "All the bowlers would be saying, 'We've found a weakness.' Bowl a short ball when he's in the 90s. Earlier, it won't work. If he's in the 90s, bowl a short ball, keep a deep third, and you'll get him out," Gavaskar said on air, as quoted by HT.
An excellent 47-ball 96 by 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a late-innings blitz by Donovan Ferreira rescued Rajasthan Royals from a horrific start, guiding them to a challenging 214/6 in their 20 overs against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 2 at Mullanpur on Friday.
A counter-attacking half-century from Sooryavanshi rescued Rajasthan Royals from a catastrophic start, lifting them from 13/2 to 214/6 in 20 overs. An unbeaten 11-ball 38 off Ferreira's bat also played a key role in RR's resurgence after early wickets.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Rajasthan's decision backfired instantly as GT's pace attack unleashed a fiery opening spell. Mohammed Siraj set the tone in the very first over, dismissing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal for just 1, as the left-hander was caught trying to break the shackles early. Things worsened for the Royals in the following over when Kagiso Rabada cleaned up Dhruv Jurel, leaving RR struggling at 13/2 in 2 overs.
Sooryavanshi unleashed an instant counter-attack as he slammed three boundaries off Siraj in the third over. After 3 overs, RR were 34-2. With the responsibility of manoeuvring the Powerplay overs falling majorly on Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old single-handedly shifted the momentum back toward RR.
He, along with Ravindra Jadeja, guided RR to a solid 70/2 after the Powerplay.
GT's Washington Sundar and Jason Holder delivered quiet overs as after 8 overs, RR stood at 82/2. Notably, Jadeja retired hurt as he walked off the field after he felt discomfort in his elbow. However, it did not stall RR's momentum as the new batter in, captain Riyan Parag, took no time to launch an aggressive assault on GT bowlers as RR got 18 runs off the ninth over, delivered by Rashid Khan.
However, Parag's stay on the crease was short as Holder got rid of the opposition captain in the 10th over. After 10 overs, RR were 103/3. Holder got another wicket as he dismissed Dasun Shanaka in the 12th over, reducing RR to 111/4 in 12 overs.
Prasidh Krishna removed Jofra Archer in the 13th over to reduce RR to 120/5 after 13 overs. Following Archer's wicket, Jadeja came back to the crease. While RR lost wickets at regular intervals, Sooryavanshi brought up his sixth fifty of the season in 31 balls
Rajasthan Royals
Gujarat Titans