Sawt Falasteen - Teenage wonder Sooryavanshi says criticism 'affects me a bit'

The teenage Indian batsman smacked a 36-ball century to become the youngest and fastest to score 1,000 T20 runs, following a couple of rare flops including a golden duck.

His 103 off 37 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad came after being dismissed on the first ball by their debutant pace bowler Praful Hinge on April 13.

Returning to face Hyderabad on Saturday, the left-hander launched Hinge for four consecutive sixes in the opening over, setting the tone for his second IPL hundred.

"After getting out in the last match I went back and checked my phone," Sooryavanshi, whose media appearances are restricted because of his age, said in a video released by Rajasthan.

"I saw a lot of things. I usually don't pay attention to those things, but when someone says something to me personally, it affects me a bit.

"I only wanted to answer with my bat."

His knock, laced with five fours and 12 sixes, ended in defeat but drew widespread praise, including from Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, who called the teenager his "new favourite player".

"You know how important it was for me. I was just trying to do exactly what I did in practice," said Sooryavanshi. "I was playing with a free flow from the first ball."

The batting prodigy has been in red-hot form in the 2026 IPL, scoring 357 runs at a staggering strike rate of 234.86 across eight matches, including two 15-ball fifties.

His performances have sparked calls for him to be fast-tracked into the senior Indian national team.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST