Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi keeps getting out in the 90s; Sunil Gavaskar identifies a ‘weakness’ at last

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 96 quality runs against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.

Updated on: May 29, 2026, 23:38:33 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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A new day, but the same Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blitz. The Rajasthan Royals' opening batter continued from where he left off against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Eliminator. However, the 15-year-old once again missed out on the three-figure mark as he was dismissed for 96 against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur on Friday. The left-hander, who has dismantled bowling attacks throughout the season, displayed a second gear as he bided his time against the attack comprising Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi missed out on a century against the Gujarat Titans (PTI)

Sooryavanshi registered his slowest fifty of his IPL career, getting to the landmark in 31 balls. However, he accelerated from here on, scoring 45 more runs in the next 16 balls. His innings was studded with eight fours and seven sixes.

Owing to this knock, Sooryavanshi also became the fastest Indian batter to surpass the 1000-run mark in IPL, going past Sai Sudharsan, who took 25 innings to register the same milestone. He took 23 innings to achieve the milestone. Moreover, he also became the youngest batter to score more than 1000 runs in the IPL. In terms of balls faced, Sooryavanshi is the fastest to the 1000 run mark, scoring this number of runs in just 440 balls.

Also Read: GT vs RR LIVE Score, IPL Qualifier 2: Check our live coverage here

Sooryavanshi also rode his luck as he was dropped by Sai Sudharsan off the bowling of Prasidh Krishna. However, this knock against the Gujarat Titans displayed the character of the youngster as the left-hander showed the world he isn't a one-trick pony. The left-hander showed the world that he isn't just slam-bang and can take his team through the difficult phases.

It is worth noting that just a couple of days back, Sooryavanshi missed a century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, scoring 97 runs off 29 balls.

Gavaskar's assessment

When Sooryavanshi lost his wicket, former India captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar identified one weakness in the youngster's game, saying the left-hander is susceptible to short bowling in the nervous 90s.

“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.

With this 96-run knock, Sooryavanshi further consolidated his position at the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard with 776 runs to his name in 16 matches.

Sooryavanshi's knock was the main reason the Royals posted a competitive total. After opting to bat, the Riyan Parag-led side scored 214/6 in the 20 overs. Sooryavanshi's innings received further support from Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira, who scored 45* and 38*, respectively. However, in the end, the total didn't prove to be home as Gujarat Titans registered a seven-wicket win to setup the IPL 2026 summit clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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