Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Rajasthan Royals (RR) 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, pointing out his ability to be calculative and not show any hesitation against big bowlers while playing at such a young age. The ex-spinner also said that the left-hander should try his hand in red-ball cricket as well. Ashwin was speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’. The youngest IPL player in history at the age of 14, Sooryavanshi, made his debut against Lucknow Super Giants, smashing Shardul Thakur for a gigantic first-ball six to start his IPL journey in style. He was also notably Ashwin’s last IPL wicket, having scored a half-century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Delhi. Since then, Sooryavanshi has developed as a more fearless player, taking down top-class bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Marco Jansen, and Arshdeep Singh with unmatched audacity, not hesitating in hitting them for fours and sixes, even if it means going after them from ball one.
Speaking on the programme, Ashwin said about getting the wicket of this fearless prodigy and being impressed with the adjustments he would make in his game in the middle of a delivery being bowled.
“It was a bit tactical. Cricket has changed; these Gen Z players hit spinners off their lengths. So, I planned to bowl slightly fuller with drift, which off-spinners get. If extra cover is back, they think I’ll bowl wide, but I won’t. I’ll go towards the pads with a turn. That is how I got Sanju Samson’s wicket. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is an exceptional talent. The way he was hitting sixes, I Tried to beat him in flight. He was beaten mid-swing and played a reverse sweep. I just said, ‘This is one hell of a player’.
Ashwin said that the youngster should not be put under pressure and should go through his cricket journey naturally.
“At 14, you expect errors or some hesitation against big bowlers, but that was not there. He is calculating; he’s reading the game. When someone has skill, power, tactical awareness, and clarity under pressure, that is a dangerous combination. He has it. Just do not put too much pressure on him. Let him go through his cricketing journey; he has a lot of skill. I would want him to try red-ball cricket too,” he signed off.
Sooryavanshi is the fifth-highest run-getter this season and RR’s highest, with 404 runs in 10 innings at an average of 40.40 and a strike rate of 237.64, including a century and two fifties. In 17 IPL matches, Sooryavanshi has made 656 runs at an average of 38.58 and a strike rate of 224.65, with two centuries and three fifties and a best score of 103.
The 15-year-old has bossed the limited-overs formats. In 28 T20s, he has made 1,105 runs at an average of 40.92 and a strike rate of 215.39, including four centuries and three fifties, with a best score of 144. The Bihar batter has also made his presence felt in List-A cricket, scoring 353 runs in eight innings at an average of 44.12 and a strike rate of 164.95, with a century and fifty to his name and a best score of 190.
In the U19 WC this year, Suryanvanshi ended up as the second-highest run-getter with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, with a century and three fifties and a best score of 175. He smacked a record-breaking 30 sixes in the competition, surpassing South Africa’s Dewald Brevis’ 18 sixes in the 2022 edition by miles. In fact, he holds the record for the most sixes in U19 WC history. He is also India’s leading run-getter in U19 ODIs, with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at 56.48, a strike rate over 165, four centuries, seven fifties, and a best score of 175.
However, in red-ball cricket, he has made just 207 runs in eight matches and 12 innings at an average of 17.25, with a fifty to his name.
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