The Rajasthan Royals wrapped up their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign with a convincing win over Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday and batting coach Vikram Rathour is already looking ahead to the future with confidence and conviction.
Rathour exuded belief in the Royals' batting group, led by a young and fearless core. “Next season, we are going to come as an even stronger batting unit, as all these guys will have played at least one more year of international and domestic cricket.”
One of the biggest revelations this season was 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who lit up the tournament with a sensational 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans. He then showcased his range as a batter with a measured 57 off 33 balls in Delhi against CSK.
“The ball was doing a bit, and he didn’t get on strike too much in the powerplay (against CSK),” Rathour explained. “But the kind of maturity and temperament he showed was really good. Today’s knock was even better because he showed a different side of his temperament and batting.”
Looking ahead, Rathour also spoke about the upcoming England tour as being a pivotal opportunity for two other young and talented Royals batters in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel have been named in the India A squad for the upcoming tour of England. The 23-year-old Dhruv Jurel has also been chosen as the vice-captain of the side.
“Jaiswal has already played some outstanding knocks at the international level and Dhruv Jurel as well. I think he's got a great temperament, that kid. He’s got great technique as a batsman,” Rathour noted.
“It’s not going to be an easy tour - the seniors have retired, a young team is going, there could be a new captain. All of that adds pressure, but it’s also a big chance to showcase your talent and ability. Both of them have a lot of talent, and I’m pretty sure they’ll do well,” Rathour said.
As part of the tour, the India A team will play two first-class matches against the England Lions starting from May 30.
