Former Australia player Justin Langer, coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, was a left-handed opener like Sooryavanshi.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi is only the second selfie I have ever asked for! The second was with an AFL champion who I watched when I was little.
“I said, ‘I’ve never done this before in the IPL, but do you mind if we take a selfie together?’ Because I admire your talent, I am in awe of your thinking, I am in awe of the way you play cricket.” Watching him hit is simply mind-blowing.
“What makes it so special? He has extraordinary hands. I always say that the really great players have hands like a hose in a swimming pool.”
“He almost does a figure eight in his hands during the swing. You know, it’s tiny, thin, but they’re so loose.
“A lot of left-handers, when they try to hit a six, they go from sight to leg, unlike Sooryavanshi, who gets ready to hit the offside shot.
“He hit a six over cover with the first ball of his IPL career. Not too far and not too deep at mid-wicket like many left-handers. He hit a six over cover and the ball returned to the stand about 20 runs out.
“Not only does this kid have playfulness, curiosity and hand-eye coordination, but he also has the hunger to score more and more runs. He is also so humble. That’s the sign of a champion.”