Out of nowhere came a blazing innings by young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, shaking up the usual calm of an IPL evening. Sunil Gavaskar, once at the helm of Indian cricket, found himself talking about it with quiet admiration. That knock – just 14 balls long yet packed full of sharp intent – ripped through Mumbai Indians’ carefully built attack. Facing names like Bumrah, Boult, and Thakur didn’t seem to weigh on him one bit. Instead, he treated them more like targets than threats. What stood out most was how boldly he went after Jasprit Bumrah, often seen as untouchable across formats. In only the second over, two massive hits cleared the boundary ropes off Bumrah’s delivery. Few saw that coming; even fewer could ignore what followed.
It was nice just seeing Sooryavanshi hit the ball so purely, even though Gavaskar supports MI. He mentioned that on JioHotstar, eyes lighting up slightly as he spoke.
“It was absolutely fantastic to watch. I’m a Mumbai Indians supporter, so actually, in a way, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but for the fact that it was such a young kid, 15 years old, playing against the best bowler in all formats of the game,” said Gavaskar.
Few could have imagined someone outplaying Bumrah like Sooryavanshi, Gavaskar said – beyond what even top batters manage.
“Batters with great experience, great records under their belts, have not been able to take apart Jasprit Bumrah as he did in those first three deliveries,” he added.
What stood out to Gavaskar was how Sooryavanshi’s shots carried a precision that wasn’t left to chance. Each movement had purpose, not luck. You could see it in the way he shaped his hands, guided the ball – no guesswork involved. Timing came from control, not randomness. Even under pressure, the form stayed sharp. There was clarity in every stroke, nothing blurred by coincidence.
“Those shots were not just going over the boundary rope; they were going into the stands,” Gavaskar said. “Sometimes you top-edge a ball, and it goes for a six-not that. He hit it off the middle of the bat.”
Few could look past the much-anticipated duel between the seasoned quick and the young star. Right off the bat, Sooryavanshi silenced any doubt – launching Bumrah’s 131kph offering, aimed at middle and leg, high over mid-on for six
