Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after India A registered a comprehensive 66-run win against Sri Lanka A in the final of the tri-series in Dambulla on Sunday (June 21)
Sooryavanshi, who had failed to convert his starts into substantial scores in the series, scored a magnum opus knock of 94 runs off just 29 balls. He smashed the fastest List A half-century, taking just 11 deliveries to get to the personal milestone.
The left-hander hit 10 fours and eight sixes in his blistering knock as he batted at the top of his game. The youngster scored his runs at a whirlwind strike rate of 324.14 and played a key role in helping India post an above-par score of 377 runs on the board.
“What is this kid doing? He is embarrassing everyone a little. He will make everyone feel a little insecure at the start, as to how he can play like this, because all of us are playing there only. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Priyansh Arya, and Tilak Varma were also there. It is a very decent India A squad,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra highlighted that Sooryavanshi raises his game in big matches for his team.
“However, when this kid starts hitting, it seems like he is at a different level. He reached his fifty off 11 balls. He is breaking List A records for fun, and that too in a final. He scored 94 in the final here, 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final, and you can see the Eliminator against the SunRisers Hyderabad and the Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans,” he observed.
The former Indian batter said Sooryavanshi doesn’t alter his aggressive game in crunch matches and once again delivered when it mattered the most.
“As soon as you increase the pressure, this kid shines even more. Such high-risk players are slightly 50-50 when the pressure increases because you realize that there is no tomorrow if you make a mistake. Once that comes to your mind, you change your game a little and become slightly conservative at times, and even if you are not conservative, you don’t have full conviction in your shots. He is not feeling the pressure of knockout matches at all,” Chopra elaborated.
Sooryavanshi is part of the UK tour, where India will play two T20Is against Ireland and five against England.
