Jaipur, April 26 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals (RR) star player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi said that he wanted to give a befitting reply with the bat to the critics as he smashed four sixes against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)bowler Praful Hinge, who had previously dismissed him in the last outing.

Speaking after the match in a conversation with RR manager Romi Bhinder, Sooryavanshi revealed that he was motivated by criticism following his early wicket against Hinge in RR’s clash against SRH on April 13.

“I went with a clear plan against the bowler. After getting out in the last match, I went back and checked my phone. I saw a lot of things. I usually don’t pay attention to those things, but when someone says something to me personally, it affects me a bit. I only wanted to answer with my bat,” he said in a video released by RR on X.

Asked about his approach during the innings, the teenager said he simply trusted his preparation and played with freedom.

“You know how important it was for me. I was just trying to do exactly what I did in the practice yesterday. I was playing with a free flow from the very first ball, and I planned to do the exact same thing today,” he added.

The youngster also gave an update on his fitness after concerns over a hamstring issue during the game. “It’s fine now. I’m feeling better. I don’t know, my foot got stuck. I already had an ankle problem, so to avoid putting too much force on it, I pulled my hamstring. But it’s better now. I will recover in time for the next match,” he said.

The 15-year-old lit up the contest with a blistering 103 off just 37 balls. His innings powered Rajasthan Royals to a massive 228/6 after being asked to bat first, putting them in a strong position at the halfway stage.

However, Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down the target with nine balls to spare, thanks to 74 from Ishan Kishan and 57 from Abhishek Sharma, who shared a crucial 132-run partnership.

–IANS

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