Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has developed the habit of delivering in crunch games; here’s hoping he has a great India debut
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to amaze millions of cricket fans, including me. His completely unafraid mindset is something to behold and for aspirants to learn from. It is often said that the greatest superpower for a batter is to be able to “forget” the previous ball — good or bad. Sooryavanshi has this ability in oodles.
The previous ball has no significance for him at all. He has this one-point mindset about wanting to hit the daylight out of every ball, wanting to smash every ball within his arc or not. He is also blessed with a strong physique, and when you couple such strength with the quality of bats he is using, the impact is wondrous.
Bowlers are scared, including big names. Watching Vaibhav blaze a 11-ball 50 against Sri Lanka A yesterday made my jaw drop. It was like a throwback to my school days when “book cricket” brought about such a streak of 4s and 6s. Here I was watching a 15-year-old doing it for his country. Vaibhav now travels to Ireland to make his debut for India, and it is with excitement that the world will watch.
Vaibhav’s Impact
Going back to yesterday’s knock against Sri Lanka A, it must be mentioned that after he was dismissed for 94 in the 8th over, the rest of the batting line-up — most of them currently playing for the senior team — could not match the tempo.
India A ended with 377 in 50 overs, showing that the pitch was not too good to bat on, and if Sooryavanshi had got out early, India could have struggled or even lost the match!
Such is the impact of these players; teams become so dependent on such players that their success or not often determines the result of the match. Vaibhav has developed the happy habit of delivering in crunch games.
I hope he has a great debut for India and entertains all us cricket tragics with his exploits — both in the white-ball and red-ball formats.
India at the World Cup
Watching the Indian women’s team yesterday as they were coming out to field, I could not help but notice some overconfidence and cockiness. The steel and zeal that this team has come to be known for seemed to be a bit off. They had a forgettable day, and this happens in sport.
The move to drop Jemimah to number 4 did not work. They should stick with her at number 3 and give the next two games to Bharti Fulmali.
If you pick a player to do a certain role, then it is incumbent on you to give the experiment enough chance to succeed… or fail. The fielding was very, very nervy and unlike the recent trends that the women have been setting.
Shree Charani again was the bright spot, but Kapp was just too good on the day. India will now have to win their remaining two games to qualify for the semifinal. This outfit is a fighting one, and I think this loss will bring the best out of this team.
Big tournaments are won by the best teams yes, but sometimes by the most inspired teams too. Harmanpreet and Smriti will need to lead the charge for the next two games to ensure a semifinal berth for their country.
There was an out-of-the-box decision to give Shafali Verma the first over, and I thought that was interesting. The team management and captain need to insulate such decisions from regular usage to maintain that element of surprise when it matters most, say in a knockout game.
India’s Upcoming Series
After an expected drubbing of Afghanistan, India’s men will travel to Ireland and England for T20s and ODIs. I will be watching this series with great interest.
Obviously, the great attraction will be Vaibhav’s debut, but it will also be good to see how the new fast bowlers do in conditions that will be more helpful than in India.
A lot depends on the weather in England, but all in all, it promises to be a series where a young India could be challenged by a team that plays white-ball cricket as aggressively as we do.
Jatin Paranjape (@jats72) is a former Mumbai and India cricketer and an ex-national selector.