"He said that you might be Sir Jadeja, but it doesn't matter to him" - Aakash Chopra lauds Vaibhav Suryavanshi's knock in RR's IPL 2025 win vs CSK

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Vaibhav Suryavanshi for playing a mature match-winning knock in the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) IPL 2025 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He noted that the RR opener started sedately before taking the CSK bowlers, including Ravindra Jadeja, to the cleaners.

CSK set RR a 188-run target in Match 62 of IPL 2025 in Delhi on Tuesday, May 20. Suryavanshi smashed 57 runs off 33 deliveries in the chase as Sanju Samson and company achieved the target with six wickets and 17 deliveries to spare to end their tournament with a win.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that RR have unearthed a diamond in Suryavanshi, highlighting that the 14-year-old played with great maturity and that the quality in the opposition bowling attack didn't bother him.

"If we talk about Rajasthan, they have found a precious diamond. They have found an excellent kid, and his name is Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Now you can say that he will increase their grandeur. Now you can say that he was a good selection. Maturity is now seen in the kid. It seemed earlier that he only hits sixes. He doesn't do that now," Chopra said (16:40).

"When Yashasvi was hitting, he was standing peacefully at the other end. After that, when Yashasvi got out, he started opening his arms. One thing that is extremely special about him is that he is playing the ball and not the bowler, because when Noor Ahmad came, he hit him. He hit Jadeja into the Ambedkar Stadium. He said that you might be Sir Jadeja, but it doesn't matter to him," he added.

Chopra pointed out that Suryavanshi showed similar maturity during his 40-run knock in RR's IPL 2025 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) two days earlier.

"He struck an incredible half-century, and now he has shown many innings where maturity was seen. That means this guy has a serious future. If you see the last match, when Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh kept the ball slightly short of length, he was defending or taking singles. As soon as the ball came into his range, it went into the stands," he observed.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi struck fours and as many sixes during his 57-run knock in RR's IPL 2025 clash against CSK. He scored 14 runs, including two sixes, off the five deliveries he faced from Ravindra Jadeja.

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"That means Sanju Samson won't open" - Aakash Chopra on Vaibhav Suryavanshi's emergence as an opener for RR in IPL 2025

Sanju Samson batted at No. 3 in RR's IPL 2025 clash against CSK. [P/C: Getty]

While opining that Vaibhav Suryavanshi's emergence might ensure Sanju Samson doesn't get to open next season, Aakash Chopra praised the RR skipper and Yashasvi Jaiswal for playing impressive knocks in Tuesday's game.

"An opener is ready with you for the next year. That means Sanju Samson won't open, but so be it. Yashasvi played well until he was there. Sanju Samson batted well until he was there, and Dhruv Jurel also scored runs in the end," he said in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also appreciated Dhruv Jurel for finally finishing a game for his side.

"It was important for Dhruv Jurel to end the season well because it was a 'so near yet so far' story many times. He wasn't able to finish, but eventually he played a match-winning knock. He ended Chennai's challenge very quickly," Chopra observed.

While Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 36 runs off 19 deliveries, Sanju Samson scored a 31-ball 41 in RR's IPL 2025 clash against CSK. Dhruv Jurel took his team over the line with an unbeaten 31 off just 12 balls.