Success often invites scrutiny, but there is a clear line between fair criticism and forcing suspicion, a line Pakistan cricket expert Nauman Niaz appears to have crossed. Known for his provocative style, Niaz has now turned his attention to India’s rising batting prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
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Shortly after the 15-year-old hammered his second IPL century, Niaz made a startling allegation, hinting that the youngster might be using an AI chip in his bat to generate extra power. However, parts of his remarks also appeared to reflect admiration for the teenager’s extraordinary ability.
Criticism meets blazing form
“Think about it. What is this kid? Get his bat checked. Like WADA conducts dope tests, send him to a lab. He probably used an AI chip in his bat. He is unreal. What a player. I did get a feeling he was playing a tad slow. This made me think, what is this guy? When you’re 18, your body builds muscle, biceps, and triceps. This one is just 16. He was born when Virat Kohli was a world champion. He doesn’t have the power game as much as he has technique. He is a wristy player, plus, if you look at this arc, he used the full 360 degree,” Niaz said on a show titled ‘SmashHit’.
However, accusations of wrongdoing stand in stark contrast to Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise. At just 15, he has already made a significant mark, piling up records and impressing across formats. He nearly rewrote history with a blistering 78 off 26 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, falling just short of the fastest IPL century. That near miss did little to slow him down, as after modest scores of 0 and 8, along with a 46, he bounced back in style with a 37-ball hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday.
Fast track to the top
His performances have placed him alongside some of the biggest names in the league. With 357 runs from eight matches, Sooryavanshi currently sits second in the standings behind SRH’s Abhishek Sharma, with two half-centuries and a hundred. KL Rahul follows in third, with Heinrich Klaasen, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli completing the top six. Notably, the Orange Cap leaderboard is largely dominated by Indian players, with Klaasen the only overseas name in the top 10.
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In a remarkably short span, Sooryavanshi has built a résumé that many young cricketers can only aspire to. His exploits include centuries in England, Australia and South Africa, along with playing a key role in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year. With his rapid progress, a call-up to the senior national side now appears to be a matter of time, possibly sooner than expected.
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