Former Australian international Justin Langer, coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, was, like Sooryavanshi, a left-handed opener.

“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is only the second selfie I’ve asked for! The other was with an AFL champion I used to watch when I was little.

“I said, ‘I’ve never done this before in the IPL, but do you mind if we take a selfie together? Because I’m in awe of your talent, I’m in awe of your mindset, I’m in awe of the way you play cricket.’ Watching him bat is mind-blowing.

“What makes him so special? He has extraordinary hands. I always say that great players have hands like a hose in a swimming pool.”

“He almost does a figure eight with his hands on his backswing. You know, it’s small, it’s subtle, but they’re very loose.

“A lot of left-handers, when trying to hit sixes, move from sight screen to leg side, which is different with Sooryavanshi, who sets up to hit off-side.

“The first ball of his IPL career, he got cover for six. Not for long, not deep mid-wicket like many left-handers. He got cover for six and returned about 20 rows to the stand.

“This kid not only has the game, the curiosity and the hand-eye coordination, but also the hunger to score more and more runs. He is also very humble. That is the mark of a champion player.”