Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan showered praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his impressive bat flow after India registered a six-wicket win in the third T20I at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday. Sooryavanshi, who batted at one down in the second game, was promoted to his natural opening position in the run chase of 199.
The youngster scored a blistering knock of 45 runs off just 19 balls as he batted at the top of his game. He added 118 runs in the Powerplay overs with Abhishek Sharma, which is now the most by a full-member ICC team.
Sooryavanshi and Abhishek added 133 runs off just 43 balls as the New Zealand bowlers were taken to the cleaners.
The youngster has a natural bat swing and he is equally good on both front foot and back foot.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “You should never underestimate his bat flow. He generates such power that even a strong 30-year-old is not able to. He is able to do it because of the way his bat moves, and there is separation of hip and shoulder. There is so much movement in his body, but his head still remains stable.”
Pathan highlighted that Sooryavanshi gave a stern warning to New Zealand bowlers after scoring a first-ball boundary against Jacob Duffy.
“He hit a big shot on the first ball and gave a direct statement to New Zealand that I may be a 15-year-old, but don’t think of me as a kid; I will attack you. When you score more than 20 runs in the first over itself, you directly put the opposition on the back foot. So, that first punch from Vaibhav was very important,” he added.
Pathan, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, said he got a perfect birthday gift after watching Sooryavanshi’s batting.
“My birthday went great seeing Vaibhav Suryavanshi bat. It was sweeter than the cake. I don’t prefer two left-handers opening, which is why I wanted Sanju to open and Vaibhav coming at three and trying to adapt. But it is not easy for a young kid,” he elaborated.
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
Image credits: Gareth Copley/ Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
