Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared a distinctive \u201ctheory\u201d about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and on Monday night he felt it finally proved itself. During Sunrisers Hyderabad\u2019s match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, debutant Praful Hinge managed the one outcome that Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood had not managed\u2014getting the Rajasthan Royals opener out for a golden duck. For Pathan, it was the moment his long-held idea about the youngster\u2019s tendencies seemed to land.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the month, Sooryavanshi had taken Bumrah apart, smashing two sixes off just five balls in an IPL 2026 fixture against the Mumbai Indians. That performance prompted Pathan to turn to social media, questioning whether the 15-year-old deliberately goes after the biggest names in the bowling attack. \u201cDoes Vaibhav target big bowlers purposely? I like to think so,\u201d Pathan posted, describing it as \u201cmy theory.\u201d He reinforced that stance after Sooryavanshi produced a similar assault on Hazlewood in Guwahati, scoring 19 runs in an over that included three boundaries and a six struck off consecutive deliveries.<\/p>\n
However, the narrative shifted on Monday. Pathan believed his hypothesis had found real support when Praful struck early. Taking to X, he wrote, \u201cSo my theory for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi isn\u2019t wrong.\u201d The key moment came when Praful bowled a short ball on middle and leg, and Sooryavanshi rushed into a pull. The shot only produced a top edge, which rose straight up; wicketkeeper Salil Arora stayed composed under it and completed a straightforward catch, ending the innings with the batter dismissed for a golden duck.<\/p>\n
It was also a historic early burst from Praful. He accounted for the Royals opener in the opening over and went on to claim three more wickets in that same phase, becoming the first bowler in IPL history to take a hat-trick of dismissals within the first over of a chase. He struck again in the following over, and with fellow debutant Sakib Hussain contributing to a collapse lower down the order, SRH secured their second victory of the season.<\/p>\n
Even with the rare setback, Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag maintained that the dismissal was simply part of Sooryavanshi\u2019s growth. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Parag said, \u201cI feel one thing you gain every time you step onto a cricket field is experience. Regardless of his age \u2014 he might be 15 \u2014 he has gained a lot from playing last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parag added that the learning goes beyond just the fielding moments. \u201cEven from the sidelines, you understand how the game works, how the IPL works. He has played games, carried that momentum into the Under-19 World Cup and Asia Cups, and scored runs everywhere,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He concluded by highlighting the value of those high-pressure experiences. \u201cI think he has earned a lot of experience from those situations \u2014 winning games, scoring big runs, like daddy hundreds,\u201d Parag said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared a distinctive \u201ctheory\u201d about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and on Monday night he felt it finally proved itself. During Sunrisers Hyderabad\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Irfan Pathan Golden Duck: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi IPL Theory","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Irfan Pathan says a golden duck for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s \u201ctheory\u201d finally proved as debutant Praful Hinge dismisses RR opener in IPL.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n