Ajay Jadeja questions Gill’s `lucky day` remark after Suryavanshi`s record knock

When Rajasthan Royals` 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi played a record-shattering innings in Jaipur, few could have anticipated the sheer dominance he would display. His blistering knock left Gujarat Titans completely outclassed, with even their captain Shubman Gill unable to contain the onslaught.

Reflecting on the performance, Gill acknowledged the youngster’s brilliance but appeared to attribute it partly to fortune. “It was his [lucky] day, you know? His hitting was just tremendous and I think he made full use of his day,” Gill remarked in a post-match interview with host broadcaster JioStar following Rajasthan’s emphatic eight-wicket victory.

Gill, who was substituted out during the second innings, watched from the sidelines as the left-handed batter tore into the Titans’ bowling lineup with ruthless efficiency. However, his assessment didn’t sit well with former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja, now part of the IPL 2025 commentary panel, who expressed displeasure at Gill’s reference to luck.

“But a 14-year-old to believe in himself, the amount that he believes in himself, and to take it that far, even if it`s, you know, one day, like some player on television just said, ‘oh, it was just his lucky day’,” Jadeja responded..

Suryavanshi has rapidly etched his name into the history books. Not only is he the youngest player to score both a half-century and a century in IPL, or any T20 format, but he also now holds the record for the fastest IPL century by an Indian, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls.

His 101 off 38 deliveries was a display of pure power and precision, featuring seven boundaries and a staggering 11 sixes. With a phenomenal strike rate of 265.78, he matched Murali Vijay’s record for most sixes by an Indian in an IPL innings.

Notably, 94 of his 101 runs came through boundaries, equating to a boundary-percentage of 93.06, surpassing even Abhishek Sharma’s previous best of 92.45 percent during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match for Punjab.

Initially acquired by Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.1 crore, Suryavanshi was expected by many to spend most of the season on the bench.

(With inputs from PTI)