Jaipur: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's growing reputation and destructive batting have made his wicket a prized scalp for bowlers in the IPL. The way Kyle Jamieson reacted after dismissing the 'wonder boy' cheaply at the SMS Stadium here on Friday underlined that fact perfectly.
The Delhi Capitals pacer was later fined for his exuberant celebrations, but Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour viewed it as a significant compliment for the 15-year-old explosive opener.
"Obviously, Jamieson was excited, and that is a compliment, probably for Vaibhav, that people are feeling so happy after getting him out. So, that's a compliment for him," Rathour told TOI after DC shocked RR by seven wickets to end their three-match losing streak.
Rathour, however, blamed the bowlers after Riyan Parag and the middle-order batters posted a strong 225/6 after opting to bat. It was the second time in a week that RR failed to defend a score above 225 on their home ground.
"The reason behind this is that the bowling unit couldn't execute their plans. I thought 226 was enough on this surface, and we should have been able to defend that. But I think it's important to have a good Powerplay with the ball. I thought we gave away lots of runs and didn't pick up any wickets. And then later also, we really couldn't execute our plans," said a visibly disappointed Rathour.
He highlighted positives in the batting unit, particularly the middle-order response after losing both openers for just 12 runs on the board.
"We were consistently getting good starts. Both our openers were doing well for us in every match. So, this was the first time that both got out early. So as a team, I think it was important how we came out of that situation and how we played. The way Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel batted at that time, the partnership they built, and the way Donovan (Ferreira) finished it, it was really good to see," said Rathour.
After Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav's departure in the first couple of overs, skipper Riyan played a captain's innings of 90 off 50 balls to end his run of poor scores.
"Riyan played a brilliant innings under pressure. It gives a lot of confidence to the team that we are not dependent on just one or two players. So, whichever day, whichever turn it is, or whoever is playing well, they can win the game for us or put up a good score. It was really positive. So again, now the work has to be done on how to defend the score," added Rathour.
