Kamal Ghorui
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again showed why he is considered one of the most exciting young talents in the IPL, but Matthew Hayden believes the Rajasthan Royals opener still has an important lesson to learn in T20 cricket.During Rajasthan’s massive chase of 230 against the Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Sooryavanshi looked dangerous from the very beginning. The left-hander smashed 36 runs off just 16 balls and briefly gave the Royals hope of pulling off a stunning chase. However, Mohammed Siraj removed the teenager at a crucial moment, and Rajasthan never truly recovered from that setback as they eventually slumped to a crushing 77-run defeat.
Speaking after the game, Hayden admitted he was impressed by the fearless approach shown by the young batter. But the former Australia opener also explained why quick-fire cameos alone are not enough when chasing totals above 220.“Well, tonight was a good example, right, of an exciting young talent in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He batted, got 30 runs at a strike rate of 300. But when you’re chasing 220 odd, you need to bat longer and deeper. So the advantage that we have is that we get players, like the top three that you mentioned, who are striking at 150,” Hayden told reporters during the post-match press conference.Hayden then highlighted what separates Gujarat Titans from many other teams this season. According to him, the consistency of the Titans’ top order has been built around balancing aggression with longevity at the crease.“Let me tell you as a batter, that is really hard, and they’re doing it for a long period of time, they’re constantly getting into the back half of the game, not just batting inside the powerplay. They’re going right through with their fitness and their ability to be able to really play Test match-type cricket, and ODI cricket in particular,” he added.The Gujarat Titans’ top three have been among the most consistent batting units in IPL 2026. Shubman Gill has scored at a strike rate of 160.41 this season, while Jos Buttler and Sai Sudharsan have maintained strike rates of 151.96 and 157.70 respectively.Hayden also admitted that Gujarat are generally more comfortable in games where the par total is around 160 to 180. That is why he was particularly pleased with the way the Titans adapted their batting approach against an unpredictable Rajasthan side capable of producing explosive performances.“So, I love the fact that we’re going about constructing in innings. Tonight, where we’re setting a target, which is a different challenge for us, we’ve had a number of totals in that sort of 160 range. Which I would back our batting to get through any day of the week, so it was nice tonight to have that bit of a challenge against an X-factor team like Rajasthan Royals, and to come out on top was really important for us,” Hayden said.Earlier in the match, Gill led Gujarat’s batting effort with a superb 84 off just 44 deliveries, helping the Titans pile up a daunting 229/6 in their 20 overs before their bowlers completed a dominant victory.
