Srinagar: Team India skipper Rohit Sharma shared a heartwarming moment with teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals opener got out on duck vs Mumbai Indians in IPL.
After the match, Rohit Sharma was seen approaching Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had a night to forget. Rohit, who led from the front with a composed 53 off 36 balls, walked up to the youngster during the post-match handshakes and offered words of encouragement after a poor night for the youngster.
After his blistering century in just 35 deliveries in his previous match against Gujarat Titans, Suryavanshi failed to make a mark on Thursday, falling for a two-ball duck.
“He will learn. Encouraging words from Rohit Sharma there, as well,” Ravi Shastri, the former Indian head coach who was on-air during the post-match pleasantries, said as Rohit shook Suryavanshi’s hand. The exchange, captured by cameras and widely circulated online, struck a chord with fans.
“Every MI player went past him had a couple of words to say. You don’t need those kind of players everyday. 14-year-old, scoring a hundred. Today, he got out on 0, but such is the game. That’s what he will learn,” said Shastri.
MI, after being asked to bat first, piled on a massive 217/2. Rohit and Ryan Rickelton (61 off 38) gave them a solid start before Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya exploded in the death overs with identical unbeaten 48s off 23 balls.
RR’s chase never took off. The tone was set in only the fourth ball of the first over when Deepak Chahar dismissed Suryavanshi for a duck. From there, the innings unravelled. Chahar’s early breakthrough was followed by Boult removing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah’s game-defining double strike, removing Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer – all inside the opening six overs.
Jofra Archer’s 30 off 27 was the only flicker of resistance before Karn Sharma (3/23) and the rest of the MI attack cleaned up the tail.
With 14 points, MI look poised for a top-two finish. Meanwhile, RR, stuck at three wins, became the second team to be officially eliminated from the playoff race this season after Chennai Super Kings earlier this week.