Former India player Kris Srikkanth praised young player Vaibhav Suryavanshi for showing maturity in his match-winning knock against Zimbabwe in the third T20I at Harare. Team India won by 35 runs and completed a 3-0 series whitewash. Vaibhav Suryavanshi helped India post a total of 192/5. He hit his second half-century, making 81 runs off 49 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 165.31 as well.
“165 is a deadly strike rate, but for Suryavanshi, it felt like it’s just 165. You don’t often see that from him, but the application was right today. It was not an easy wicket. It was slow, some balls were bouncing, and some kept low. It was beautiful to watch as he showed maturity. He waited and took some time and did not go berserk. He applied himself, also took many ones and twos, which is a very good sign. The fact that he is pushing himself like that is a good sign,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“If not for his 81, we would have maybe made 160-170. Others were not able to time the ball that well. That partnership between Vaibhav and Shreyas was also very crucial. They bowled yorkers to him, bowled just short of length, not short enough to pull, and that is where I thought Vaibhav tackled the bowling very well. He played for a long time as an opener, which was an important factor. If he had gotten out early, we could probably have been in trouble,” he again shared.
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Kris Srikkanth also shared his wish for the Indian team to fast-track Vaibhav Suryavanshi into the ODI squad. After his brilliance in Zimbabwe, the former cricketer said that the youngster could at least be part of the squad, if not directly in the playing 11 just yet.
“I want them to groom Vaibhav and get him into the 15 in the one-day side. I will take him for that. Let him be the 15th or 16th. I am not saying ahead of Jaiswal, but you can have both in the 16. You took the likes of Shedge and Dube in England, who I don’t think deserved. Fast-track him. Tell whatever you want, Man of the Series at the age of 15, what an achievement,” he said.
“Now the question is, how are you going to groom Vaibhav and take him to the next level? You will play Afghanistan, West Indies and all of that. Tell him that for the next 20 games he will not be dropped at all and give him that confidence, that boy will also improve his temperament. That boy showed that he’s got maturity and can play various kinds of shots. He read the wicket well,” Kris Srikkanth concluded.
