Vaibhav Suryavanshi (screenshots)
New Delhi: After a record knock in the final of the Tri-Nation Series, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made a cheeky confession about his credentials in 50-over cricket, saying many people may not even realize how much experience he has in the format.The 15-year-old played a starring role in India A’s title win over Sri Lanka A on Sunday, smashing a stunning 94 off just 29 balls. In the process, he registered the fastest fifty in history, reaching the milestone in just 11 deliveries. His explosive start helped India A post 377/9 before bowling out Sri Lanka A for 311 to seal a comfortable 66-run win.
Despite reaching the final after a mediocre run with the bat and an on-field brawl against the same opponent in the previous match, Suryavanshi said he never felt pressure.“I didn’t think about anything. I just wanted to implement what I had planned in the top 10 and move on from there,” Suryavanshi said after being named man of the match.Questions were raised about the young man’s form and temperament after he managed only 117 points in four rounds during the tournament. But Suryavanshi revealed that discussions with the coaching staff helped him rediscover his rhythm.He watches:
“There was no pressure. I wasn’t executing what I wanted. But after consulting with the coaches, I did the right thing.
“I learned a lot from this series,” he said.Primarily known for his six-hit exploits in T20 cricket, the left-hander insisted that he was equally comfortable in the longer white-ball format.“I’ve played a lot of cricket for over 50 years. I’m not sure people know that,” he said.“The challenge was to adapt to different conditions, and it was good to do that.”
Tilak Pharma He praises the team’s response
India captain Tilak Varma praised the team’s resilience after recovering from successive defeats earlier in the competition.“Everyone showed real character. Especially after we lost two matches in a row. Then we won by a huge margin, which was huge,” Tilak said.“Everyone has played domestic cricket and has experience. It’s just a matter of pre-match planning. We start big, ramp up and accelerate,” he added.Sri Lanka skipper Sahan Arashchiji acknowledged the impact of Sooryavanshi’s innings.“Sooryavanshi played a brilliant innings. We managed the innings well but we let it slide in the last two overs,” Arashchiji said.He added: “When we strive for a big result, the top rankings can go down cheaply. This happens. The youngsters played well, and the seniors scored as well. It was a good tournament.”