Suryavanshi and Jurel blitz Bengaluru to keep Rajasthan unbeaten in IPL
GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Another breathtaking innings by 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi led unbeaten Rajasthan Royals to comfortably overhaul titleholder Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Friday. Bengaluru recovered from 125-7 in the 14th over to set a decent target of 202. But Suryavanshi's 78, including another 15-ball half-century, and Dhruv Jurel's unbeaten 81 off 43 balls drove Rajasthan to 202-4 and a six-wicket victory with two overs to spare.
Suryavanshi rocketed the chase with 70 in a stand of 108 off 37 balls with Jurel. They were a season-best 97-1 after the powerplay. Bengaluru threw test bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Suryavanshi and the kid tore them apart.
He got off the mark with a boundary by squeezing a yorker back past Kumar, and welcomed Hazlewood's first ball of the season with a six over deep backward point. Hazlewood's second over was tagged by Suryavanshi for 4-4-4-6. “We just cannot believe how someone can hit it like that,” Jurel said.
“We think we can not hit like that. He is a great talent. ” The youngster smashed seven sixes and eight boundaries at a strike rate of 300 in his second fifty of the young season.
“I try to play the ball and not the bowler, and play my game,” Suryavanshi said. “My dad, my coaches ... they keep telling me that the journey is long and to focus on my process and my game, without diverting my mind.