Faced several ups and down in last four months: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has acknowledged that he has endured “several ups and downs” in the past four months but his confidence remains intact heading into the T20I series against Zimbabwe, beginning in Harare on Thursday.
Riding on his IPL blitzkrieg, the 15-year-old made it to India’s T20I tours of Ireland and England. Although he did not feature in the two-match series in Belfast, he made his international debut in the second T20I against England in Manchester, becoming India’s youngest-ever international cricketer, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record. Sooryavanshi played the next three matches but managed only modest scores and was left out of the fifth and final T20I as Sanju Samson returned to the XI. India went on to lose the series 0-4.
His omission sparked criticism from several former cricketers, who questioned the team management’s decision to drop the teenage opener after just three innings.
“Yes, there have been several ups and down in the last four months; it’s part of cricket, it will keep happening but I have to follow the process and give my 100 per cent for the team,” Sooryavanshi, whose familiarity with the conditions here could strengthen his chances of making the playing XI for Thursday’s opener, told ‘bcci.tv’.
The youngster was visibly emotional after being left out of the fifth and final T20I against England. Acknowledging the challenges of dealing with setbacks at a young age, he said the support he received from those around him helped him move on and regain his focus.
