OH BOY, WHAT A TON

Suryavanshi becomes youngest to hit IPL ton, smashes second-fastest 100 of the league

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Chennai

ARISE, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. All of 14 years and change but playing an innings batters twice his age and 100 times his experience would struggle with. At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the Rajasthan Royals opener—playing in a state with a lot of palaces and where royalty is everywhere you look—played an innings worthy of royalty.

By the time the southpaw was finished, his thrill-a-minute, 38-ball 101 had once again redefined what was possible in the sport's newest format. Established bowlers were dumped into the stands. Prasidh Krishna, one of the leading contenders for the Purple Cap, was pumped to all parts of the ground. Rashid Khan, one of the greatest spinners in the history of T20s, was pulled just in front of square to bring up the second fastest century (35 balls) in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). When Chris Gayle brought up his 30-ball 100 in 2013, he was presumably not of his nappies as he had just two.