New Delhi, April 9 : Rarely in IPL history has a young batter's raw talent and fearless approach captivated the league. A notable instance of this happened at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, where Priyansh Arya smashed a 39-ball century - the fourth fastest in IPL's history.

From the moment Arya upper-cut Khaleel Ahmed for a six on the first ball of the Punjab Kings' innings, people in the stadium were unaware of the extraordinary performance that the young left-handed opener was about to deliver on Tuesday evening.

Even as he lost partners consistently from the other end, Arya's aggressive batting on both sides of the wicket propelled him to a 42-ball 103 and secured PBKS's first home victory of this season.

Arya's childhood coach, Sanjay Bhardwaj of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy, whose alumni include India head coach Gautam Gambhir, Nitish Rana, and Amit Mishra, praised the youngster for maintaining his aggressive approach and leading PBKS to victory.

"He played very well and he had to play that kind of knock, considering how batters from the other end were falling, and got the team to win the match, which is the most important thing. Priyansh has also shown that he can carry that responsibility, and he will now have to repeat performances like that consistently.

"The thing that stood out from yesterday was that he didn't leave his instincts, which is the way he plays. He doesn't play his cricket with a conscious mind; instead, he bats with his subconscious mind, as that is where his instinct lies.'

"As a batter, you have to play according to your instinct, as after thinking hard, you have to see the areas where you can hit your shots. So he played as per his instinct, and attacked so much against CSK bowlers,' said Bhardwaj in an exclusive conversation with IANS from Bhopal.

Bhardwaj also disclosed that Arya called him early on Wednesday morning, and the eminent coach urged his student to maintain the hardwork for the rest of the competition. 'It is my good fortune that he called me instead of the coach calling him. When I picked up the call, he asked, 'Theek kiya na maine? (Did I do well?)'.

"I then asked him what happened yesterday and who made hundred runs? Then he said, 'Oh it was me'. It has been made clear to him that your performance is happening due to God's grace and you are just the one who's doing the effort.

"The day you start to believe that the performances are happening solely because of you, you will have a little ego. Priyansh also understand that I have to keep working hard, and the performances will be taken care of by God. You just have to make the efforts, and this is how it works.

"He also told me that the Punjab Kings management have been backing him since day one, and have further said him to play cricket as per his instincts. Head coach Ricky Ponting, captain Shreyas Iyer and the team management are taking care and supporting him,' he elaborated.

Bhardwaj reminisced about Arya's aggressive batting instincts, which were clear from the time he first started coaching him. "Yes, from the beginning, he had those attacking instincts. In cricket, there are two types of players - one is attacking and the other is defensive.

"So, an attacking approach player can defend, but the defensive approach player can never attack. So, Priyansh always had an attacking approach. He scored 120 runs once in Delhi Premier League off 50 balls. He also hit a century before in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So, this is the way he performs ' scoring hundreds in nearly 50-52 balls."

Before joining the Punjab Kings (PBKS) camp for IPL 2025, Arya trained at Bhardwaj's residential academy, located in a jungle 20 kilometers away from the railway station in Bhopal. Bhardwaj's rule of only 1.5 hours of mobile phone use per day, with practice, sleep, and relaxation taking precedence, allowed Arya to meticulously refine his long-range hitting skills, especially against medium-pace bowling.

'Whenever he has time, he comes here and practices, and always attacks against medium pacers. I believe that even in the IPL, the same boy is selected who can attack against medium pacers. No one selects a player who can attack against the spinners. So, he practiced a lot of his cut and pull shots, especially against the bouncers.'

The memory of a tranquil Arya investing his cricket earnings in the academy also came quickly to Bhardwaj's mind. 'When the academy was being built, he used to give all the money he earned from U19 and U22 tournaments organised by the BCCI and would say, 'Sir, you use this money as you are building our academy'.

"When you learn to give, there is a different level of humility and humbleness in a human being. His nature has always been like this. I am not saying just that he is my student. It also helps that his mother and father are teachers, so he has been good from the beginning."

In just his fourth IPL innings, Arya's spectacular century signalled his arrival on the biggest stage in the T20 franchise leagues world. Bhardwaj is now counting on Arya to maintain his aggressive batting form and build on a successful beginning to his IPL 2025 campaign.

"I have told him I will come to see you play when Punjab will be playing the IPL final in Kolkata. I have clearly said to Priyansh that Punjab should play the final and win the trophy (on May 25). If Priyansh gets another hundred there, then it will be the perfect icing on the cake. You will definitely see Punjab reach the knockout stage and they will then do their best in the final," said the coach.

/IANS