MUMBAI: He has mesmerized the cricketing world with his prodigious hitting, with sixes and fours raining down on his heart-pounding blade but Rajasthan’s explosive opener Vibhu Suryavanshi has also faced a bit of scrutiny for playing as an ‘impact player’, meaning he didn’t just bat on the field. The 15-year-old batting sensation scored 579 runs at an average of 44.53 in 13 matches at an incredible strike rate of 236.32 with three fifties in IPL-2026.However, former India batsmen Sanjay Manjrikar and Mohammad Kaif have criticized RR’s decision to play the left-handed dashing player as an impact sub. While Manjrekar said that not fielding during the games would hinder Suryavanshi’s development as a player, as fielding is also a skill and an important area for any cricketer, Kaif pointed out that the young gun “has not taken a catch this IPL season.” Asked why RR Suryavanshi was playing only as an ‘impact player’ ahead of his team’s crucial match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the team’s assistant coach Trevor Penny asserted that the youngster is “a very good fielder.” “So, he’s a great fielder. He’s got great hands. He moves well, he dives, he anticipates, he’s got it all, the way it’s done. And sometimes opening the bat with him, having him freshen up in the second innings, it works for us. So, there’s no particular reason, ‘Oh, we’re not fielding bad.’ So, it has nothing to do with it. These are just circumstances. And sometimes a little bit, maybe there was a better fielder or a more experienced fielder. But in general, it has been to keep him fresh for his batting,” Penny said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday. Penny insisted that Suryanshi’s running between the wickets was also “very good”. “But he doesn’t really have to run much between the wickets, does he? It’s just about a break. I think he can if he has to. You saw in the last game, he had 10 off 11 balls and he was very determined to win the game. That’s why he didn’t go in and just try to hit ball one,” said the RR assistant. Praising Suryavanshi, Penny said the youngster “lived in his own bubble” and was a gracious player that he had not seen in his four-decade-long career in cricket. “I’m sure he’s very excited (to play at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time). We don’t need to talk to him much. He’s just such a pleasant boy, he’s very confident, he’s very excited to go and play and practice every day. So, to be honest, we don’t really need to talk to him, he needs to practice a lot after that. When he goes out to play, he just enjoys himself, it’s Rarely have I ever seen that. So, I have been in cricket for 40 years and I have never seen this before. So, it can last a long time, and I certainly hope it will work tomorrow.”how is it Rajasthan Royals The coaching staff, led by head coach Kumar Sangakkara, is protecting Suryavanshi from the huge hype building around him. “We’ve got a really good team, management staff, support staff, looking after him. He’s very young and the nights are long and things like that. So, we take care of him in the evenings, make sure he practices accordingly, and take care of all the little things you have to do with a young guy. But he’s kind of weird in how he’s dealing with it all. On Joffrey Archer and his season so far, last season he struggled a little bit, he’s come back really well,” Penny said.‘Missing Tests for England doesn’t bother Archer’Meanwhile, England’s fast bowler RR Jofra Archer Missing the first Test against New Zealand starting June 4 due to his IPL commitments has caused a storm in England, with former England captain Michael Athrone questioning in a column in The Times whether a ‘central contract’ mattered if Archer was going to miss the first Test of the summer, describing the situation as “incredibly disappointing”. Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, also criticized Archer over the ECB-BCCI deal, questioning the fast bowler’s inclusion in the IPL. When asked if Archer was being affected by the criticism, Penny gave a practical answer. “Yes, I have read some of those articles. It is quite strange because it is a big tournament. Everyone knows that the IPL is also something to come. So, if he misses even one match for England, so be it. I think he thinks so. But, I don’t think it bothers him. I think he might be a little annoyed, but I can’t answer him on that. But, he is getting back to normal.He hardly mentioned it. The boys didn’t even talk about it. But, yeah, it is what it is. You either come here and get selected here and then annoy the people there or you leave early and then you have the problem of never coming back to the IPL.”Penny revealed that senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (elbow injury) and captain Ryan Parag (hamstring and shoulder injury), who were ruled out of the last match due to injuries, were “looking good”, but was non-committal about whether the pair would feature in the team’s crucial final league game against MI on Sunday. “Yeah, they’ve got niggles. We’re going to test (them) today. It’s practice to see if we can pick them for tomorrow. I can’t say much more than that. Not actually on the selection panel. But they look good. Obviously, there are niggles,” Penny revealed.
