Can I have a photo? Australian big turn Sooryavanshi fanboy after Jaipur storm

For three and a half decades, Justin Langer has lived his life in cricket’s most unforgiving cauldrons. He ducked under the bouncers of Shoaib Akhtar, traded verbal volleys with standard fast-bowling greats and coached Australia with the kind of intense, unblinking grit that defines the baggy green myth. He is not a man who is easily awed.

Yet on a humid Jaipur evening, the 55-year-old Australian legend found himself in a critical state of modern cricket: becoming a fan for a 15-year-old boy. RR vs LSG: Highlights | Scorecard

As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stood on the sidelines of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium dutifully spouting catchphrases for the standard post-match IPL digital video, a shadow fell on the frame. It was Langer. The Lucknow Super Giants head coach didn’t just stay behind to offer a polite, perfunctory handshake. He wanted a memorial.

“Can I have a photo, please?” Langer asked almost gently, pausing the recording. The teenager paused, momentarily relinquishing his status as tournament destroyer-in-chief to offer the schoolboy respectful compliance. Langer beamed, ducking into the frame and delivering the parting line that belonged in a time capsule: “I’ll cherish that photo. Good luck with your career. Good luck.”

It was a vignette that perfectly captured the surreal nature of the Sooryavanshi phenomenon. The Rajasthan Royals miracle not only beat LSG with his stunning 38-ball 93; he completely disarmed them.

ASSIGNED TO WATCH HIM: LANGER

A few hours later, the utter disbelief did not subside. Sitting in the press room, Langer’s mind was still reeling, trying to put into context what the IPL had witnessed.

“We’ve seen it all season, he’s the best scorer,” Langer said in shock. “In all my time in 35 years of cricket I have seen some amazing players. To see a young man bat like that, not just tonight but in the whole series, is breathtaking.”

For Langer, the definitive proof of Sooryavanshi’s genius was not just the trajectory of the ball sailing across the Jaipur pitch, but the sheer existential terror he inspired in the world’s most feared bowling elite.

“I think the last game, Mitchell Starc, who is one of the best bowlers of all time, bowls and look at the look on his face,” Langer recalled.

“And Nortje, who is a world-class international bowler, and Sooryavanshi is beating him. And the look on their face is like, ‘what’s going on here?’

“The ominous thing going forward is that if the looks on the faces of Mitch Starc and Nortje and every bowler are telling the story now, what about when he learns to bat? My God, he’s so young. So yes, he’s a great, great player. And it’s a real privilege to watch him bat, actually.”

Langer’s “when he learns to bat” thesis is so convincing that evolution is already happening in real time. Until this week, the teenager was a force of nature – all raw reflexes and unbridled aggression. But he revealed a template against LSG.

He gave the opening over the kind of old-school respect that would make modern T20 data analysts break out in hives.

“I think that was his best innings,” reflected his Royals teammate, ad captain Riyan Parag, later.

“He was 5 off 11 or so. But he took his time. He played Mayank’s first big shot through covers, which really gave me a sense of satisfaction and understanding that he understands the game more.”

Justin Langer leaves Jaipur with a blemished play-off campaign, a headache for his bowling coaches and a digital picture tucked away on his phone. Long after the 2026 season fades into memory, this photo will remain – a snapshot of the night the Australian sands icon took a look at the future of Indian cricket and asked her to say cheese.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

20 May 2026 10:59 IST