Harare Sports Club: India’s stand-in bowling coach Sunil Joshi praised young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his explosive start to the T20I series against Zimbabwe, adding that he was glad to see the teenager do well in the opening game at the Harare Sports Club.Sooryavanshi’s 18-ball fifty, laced with four boundaries and as many sixes, made him the youngest player to score a half-century in international cricket. His blitzkrieg reduced India’s chase of 126 to a mere formality as the reigning T20 World Cup champions reached home with 40 balls remaining and take a 1-0 lead.
“I think the first thing is, let’s focus on his batting. He’s been sensational and I’m glad that he has done well. This is a hunting ground for him. He performed well in the U19 World Cup finals here. He had a good performance yesterday as well,” Joshi told reporters in the pre-match press conference, ahead of the second T20I on Saturday.
He also revealed that some work will be put in on Sooryavanshi’s bowling skills at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. “Vaibhav has been very comfortable with his batting. Whenever we get time in his bowling, I’ll work with him in the CoE. Whenever we will see him bowling well, we’ll definitely and quickly focus on that.”
Addressing comparisons surrounding emerging seam-bowling all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, Joshi urged patience and persistence with young talents adapting to the demands of international T20 cricket.
“Look, we shouldn’t compare. Suryansh is making his place in the Indian team. Hardik (Pandya) has made his place. Shivam (Dube) has also made his place. So, he’s a rising talent. We have to persist with him. He’s working on good things, and good areas. That’s what we want in the T20 format.”
“The coaches always want him to improve every time for the better and Harsh Dubey has also performed well. We also have Tilak Verma with us. In fact, he’s also another optional bowler. We have conversations with him about not giving too many runs, giving more dot balls, and focusing on the basics. That’s it, very simple and just keep it simple.”
Article Source: IANS
