Aakash Chopra lauds Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s knock in IPL 2026 Eliminator

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has lavished praise on Vaibhav Suryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals secured a comprehensive 47-run win against SRH in the Eliminator contest at New Chandigarh on Wednesday. Suryavanshi smashed a magnum opus knock of 97 runs off just 29 balls against SRH as he batted at his absolute best.

The youngster scored five fours and 12 sixes in his blistering knock and played a key role in helping the inaugural champions post a par score of 243 runs on the board. 

Suryavanshi also broke Chris Gayle’s record of most sixes in an IPL season as he went past Universe Boss’ 2012 edition record. The youngster currently has scored 65 maximums in the ongoing season.

Chopra said personal milestones should be put on the backburner and we should celebrate Suryavanshi’s 97 in the same way we would praise a hundred.

“He played only 29 balls and reached 97 runs, and it seemed like he had tears in his eyes. He was slightly disappointed as well, but that’s the beauty and the problem of our game. We are so obsessed with milestones that we forget to celebrate 97 at times,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“If you see this game, were the 97 runs less than any hundred, and if those three extra runs had been scored, what difference would it have made to the world? It might have been the fastest hundred, but what difference would it have made even if it wasn’t? Numbers are good to discuss, but eventually, your contribution to the win matters, and he was the biggest contributor. 97 for me was as good as a hundred,” he added.

The renowned commentator expects Suryavanshi to break his own record in the next decade.

“He has hit 65 sixes, and we are saying, Wow. He might hit 70 now. He might hit a few against Gujarat, but this is not the limit. By reaching here, he has shown that this is possible. He will break his own record two or three times in the next 10 years,” he said.