Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement: India’s T20 World Cup–winning cricketer Sanju Samson recently recounted a humorous incident from the Rajasthan Royals camp involving former head coach Rahul Dravid and 14-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Samson recalled Dravid’s interaction with the youngster ahead of his Indian Premier League debut last season and revealed the amusing response Sooryavanshi gave when asked about his approach going into his first match.
Sooryavanshi went on to impress in his debut season, scoring 252 runs in seven matches for Rajasthan Royals at an impressive strike rate of 206.56. His standout performance came against the Gujarat Titans, where he produced a sensational innings of 101 off 38 balls, reaching his century in just 35 deliveries.
Speaking at the BCCI Annual Awards, Sooryavanshi was asked whether he remembered his first conversation with Dravid and then-captain Samson prior to making his IPL debut.