Langer hails Sooryavanshi after another explosive IPL innings

JAIPUR: Former Australia coach Justin Langer has praised teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the Rajasthan Royals opener produced another commanding innings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying the 15-year-old’s batting has been remarkable throughout the tournament.

Sooryavanshi made 93 from 38 balls on Tuesday as Rajasthan Royals moved closer to the IPL play-offs with a victory over Lucknow Super Giants. The latest knock added to a growing list of standout performances by the young opener this season, including a century that came off 36 deliveries.

During his innings against Lucknow, Sooryavanshi struck 10 sixes and overtook Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh in the race for the tournament’s leading run-scorer. Marsh had 563 runs, while Sooryavanshi moved to 579 runs from 13 matches, taking the orange cap awarded to the top batter in the competition.

Langer, a former Australia opening batter who is now coaching Lucknow, spoke about the teenager after the match in Jaipur and said he had been impressed not only by this innings but by his overall body of work in the tournament.

I've seen some amazing players in 35 years of cricket.

Langer told reporters in Jaipur.

To see a young man bat like that, not just tonight but throughout the series, is breathtaking.

The Lucknow coach said Sooryavanshi had already shown he could dominate elite pace attacks. The teenager has taken on high-profile fast bowlers including Australia’s Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s Anrich Nortje.

It's quite incredible, actually, to be able to play that way, and now have the orange cap.

said Langer, who played 105 Tests for Australia.

The scary thing going forward -- if the expressions on the face of Mitch Starc and Nortje and every bowler tells a story now -- is what about when he learns how to bat?

Langer also pointed to Sooryavanshi’s age as a sign that there may be much more to come from the batter in the years ahead.

Gosh, he's so young. He's a brilliant player, and it's a real privilege to watch him bat.

He'll adapt, he'll keep getting better and better, which is scary for world cricket.

India A call-up amid senior team debate

Sooryavanshi’s performances in the IPL have also led to calls for him to be moved quickly into India’s senior side. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar indicated that the selectors are not rushing that process.

Agarkar said on Tuesday that Sooryavanshi had again been chosen for the India A team and added that the selectors were encouraged by what he has shown in the IPL.

We've picked him for the India A team again.

Agarkar said on Tuesday.

We are very excited with what he's been doing in the IPL, and hopefully he shows a bit of that when he travels with India A.

The latest innings has further strengthened Sooryavanshi’s standing in this season’s IPL, where his rapid scoring and consistency have made him one of the competition’s most closely watched players.