Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Sent Stern Message By RR Head Coach: "Less Said, The Better"
Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara feels Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must "enjoy" his cricket and that "less said, the better" for him.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL journey is already shaping up as a mix of dazzling highs and some tough lessons, but Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara feels he must "enjoy" his cricket and that "less said, the better" for him. Having lit up the IPL with his explosive batting against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians) and Josh Hazlewood (RCB), the young sensation was dismissed for a golden duck by an unheralded Praful Hinge in their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"My message to Vaibhav is simple: enjoy everything. Whether it's 100 off 35 balls, 50 off 15, or a first-ball duck -- you're allowed to score runs, and you're allowed to fail. It's part and parcel of cricket," the RR director of cricket said on the high expectations surrounding the young gun.
"Vaibhav is such an exciting young player. People talk about talent, but they should also understand the amount of work he puts in at the nets. He reads the game really well, anticipates situations, and plans against bowlers effectively." Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 last month, returned for his second IPL season with high expectations after scoring an explosive 80-ball 175 in India's Under-19 World Cup triumph in February.
He lit up the IPL with a 17-ball 52 against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in their opening match, and since then has not looked back, with an eye-popping strike rate of over 263 after five innings.
He started with a first-ball six against Bumrah in their clash with Mumbai Indians, and then took Hazlewood apart against RCB, hitting three fours and a six in succession.
On his failure against SRH, Sangakkara said he will figure things out as he goes along.
"The nature of opening in T20 cricket today is all-out attack. He'll figure things out as he goes along. For a player like that, sometimes the less said, the better.
"I just want him to remain that 15-year-old kid who goes out and bats with a sense of wonder. That's how he'll truly progress. Low scores will happen to him and to everyone else, but I'm very happy to have Vaibhav with us.”
'Clarity helping Jurel'
Sangakkara was also high in praise of their keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, India's reserve wicketkeeper in Tests, who has been a revelation at No. 3, especially with the way he anchored their 200-plus chase against RCB with an unbeaten 81.
“He always had an approach focused on scoring -- he's a high-intent player. He's not a big guy, but he's strong and has both power and skill.
"For Dhruv now, he has a clear idea of his path forward at RR and possibly for India. That clarity has freed him to play with more freedom, like when he first started.
"It took him a while to figure himself out -- not technically, but personally. Players who understand themselves tend to improve quickly.
"Over the past year, he's really figured out his strengths and personality, and that's helped immensely. You can see his rise, and even in Indian cricket circles, he's spoken about as an incredible player."
'Parag middling ball well'
It is RR skipper Riyan Parag who is still struggling for runs, but Sangakkara believes he is batting well despite the lack of returns.
“I think the good thing is that when I watch Riyan bat, he's actually batting really well. He's hitting the ball off the middle and knows where he wants it to go.
"I've been through this myself as a cricketer. There are days when you're batting well but just not getting the runs. You play a good shot and still get out, wondering how that happened. So it's good that it's happening now.
Especially in the middle order in T20 cricket, you're not looking for long innings -- you're looking for impact, and that's something Riyan can do really well." RR will face Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday after suffering their first defeat in five matches, as SRH bowlers Praful Hinge and Sakib Husain dismantled their top order, reducing them to 9/5 in three overs in a chase of 217. RR eventually folded for 159 in 19 overs.
"Those two young kids bowled really well at us. They were very skillful, and I think that surprised us a little bit," Sangakkara said.
'KKR will be tough to beat'
KKR have struggled this season and are rooted to the bottom, yet to win after six matches, but RR are not taking them lightly.
"We don't take any side lightly. Records don't matter in head-to-head contests. We expect it to be a tough game,” Sangakkara said.
“I think they're a very tough and very good side. For us, it's about focusing on what we do well and repeating that consistently over 240 balls."
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Kumar Sangakkara
Rajasthan Royals