TimesofIndia.com at Milanpur: Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Shabman Gul T20 represents two completely different styles of batting. 15 years old Rajasthan Royals The thrill keeps the spectators on edge, every ball the prospect of another daring stroke. Gill, on the other hand, has a way of keeping time still. There is no rush, no apparent danger, yet the runs keep flowing. If Suryavanshi’s knock was an adrenaline rush, Gill’s was a lesson in beauty, control and an innings that keeps you watching, looking for the next perfectly timed stroke.Vibhu Suryavanshi was not in his usual combative mood, which he showed during his 29-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the second night. He was hit by the short pitch bowling from the Gujarat Titans bowlers and he was also hit on the helmet, but he did not budge and still scored another brilliant 96 off 47 balls. Meanwhile, Shubman saw a man. He was perfect at finding the gaps, playing in the V, and still scored 104 off 53 balls at a strike rate of around 200. All this without losing its shape.They were two different knocks, but they gave the crowd at the Malinpore Stadium a lifetime memory.Last night against SRH, Suryavanshi hit eight sixes in the first 16 balls he faced. GT’s opening bowlers Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada devised a plan that worked against the youngster, and it took Suryavanshi 14 balls to hit his first maximum. Suryavanshi won the site screen off Rabada’s 153 kmph.Next was Shubman, who waited until the 33rd ball of his innings to hit the first of his three sixes with his trademark pull shot. Shubman showed the full range of his strokes. He pulled, cut, drove, swept, ran hard between the wickets, used his feet brilliantly against the spinners and played some silky shots on either side of the wicket to ensure GT were in the final.“I was kind of in the zone where I was looking at the gap, I didn’t want to hit the ball too hard. I was just trying to see the ball, look at my zones and try to hit it there,” he said in a post-match presentation.On hitting the gaps at will, the GT skipper explained: “That’s what happens when you’re batting well. You see the difference and you do everything in between. We were very lucky to get a target of 210. At one point, it looked like we’d keep it to 180-190. Once we started, I was talking about how I wanted to finish the game.”It has not been an easy journey for Shubman in the past few months. He was first appointed as India’s vice-captain in the T20Is and was then dropped ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. But in a big match, that too after a heavy loss in Dharamsala, he looked locked from the start and led his team to their third final in five years.GT Cricket Director Vikram Solanki told reporters that like previous years, Shubman arrived prepared.“I think T20 cricket is a format where you have to ride high and work hard when you are not playing well. He has played so much cricket. He is very experienced for someone so young. He knows how to deal with success and failure.“The professional game is all about dealing with that. He was very measured when he arrived at our camp. His preparation is the same as always, regardless of the jersey he’s wearing, I’m sure his preparation is perfect. And that’s exactly how he arrived this year,” Solanki said.Meanwhile, Suryavanshi came at the bowlers like a ton of bricks. The 15-year-old hit eight sixes, the most outrageous of which was hit with a tennis-style forehand smash. Attempting the same shot against SRH, he missed out on the fastest IPL century, but this time it went over the ropes. He hit it with a vertical bat, bringing it down quickly as he slapped the ball straight over the bowler’s head.“It defies any logic how he took such experienced international bowlers to the cleaners,” GT’s director of cricket told reporters after the match.“He’s certainly an exciting prospect. I, along with all of you, look forward to watching him in the future for many years to come. Imagine where he’ll go if he’s doing what he’s doing now. Besides, I’d like him not to score runs against us, but I enjoy watching him bat.”Suryavanshi’s IPL 2026 campaign ended with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30. In the final, Shubman, with 722 runs to his name, will have a chance to defeat Suryavanshi in the race for the Orange Cap.As the dust settles after a remarkable evening, fans are left with two lasting images. One of them is fearlessly picking apart some of the best bowlers in the world at the age of 15. The other is that of an athlete, moving towards the peak of his powers, calmly pursuing a record under enormous pressure.Suryavanshi’s campaign may have ended in Milanpur, but his arrival on the big stage is complete. Meanwhile, Gill has one more assignment left: to lead the Gujarat Titans to the title.
