CHENNAI: He may not have played in the first two T20Is against West Indies, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi still remains a star attraction in the Indian team. The 15-year-old explosive batting prodigy stole the limelight when the team toured Ireland and England. And he continued to be even in Japan during the Asian Games.
While he is warming the bench in the ongoing home tour, he will, without much doubt, continue be of conversation when the Indian team flies to New Zealand for an all-format tour later in the month. India will play five T20Is, as many ODIs and two Tests with the shortest format starting from October 22.
For New Zealand, an exciting all-format contest awaits against the T20 World Champions. In fact, the last time the two teams went up against each other was in the summit clash on March 8. However, that was in the past as New Zealand have named seven pacers in the T20I squad. One among them is senior pacer Lockie Ferguson.
The Black Caps pacer feels it is an exciting opportunity for Sooryavanshi. "He’s a high-quality player. I’ve played against him at the IPL, and clearly, he’s an amazing talent coming out of India. It's a really exciting opportunity for him to travel the world, get to experience New Zealand for all that we offer here, but also experience cricket here in New Zealand. The great thing about New Zealand and the countries you travel to is the games are played slightly differently, and conditions are different. I can’t comment on how he will prepare. I’m sure there will be some challenges for him, but it’s going to be an exciting series," he said in a select media interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.
The 35-year-old, while acknowledging the quality of Sooryavanshi, believes he is not the first talent to come out of India and the conditions will pose a challenge for the visitors. "To be honest, he’s not the first incredible talent to come out of India. Every year I go back to the IPL, it seems they have found another world-beater in terms of talent. He is an incredible talent, of course, and someone you have got to do your homework on. But conditions do dictate.
"In New Zealand, we have a fantastic ecosystem of grounds — big grounds with big boundaries, and then Eden Park, which is a rugby field, so a smaller ground. Those nuances play into the game of cricket each day. For us, who have played here, we’re a bit more accustomed to those conditions, boundary sizes, and style of play. For touring teams, it’s a challenge. He’s deservedly gotten a lot of praise because of how well he’s done. He’s a young lad with a long career ahead of him. It’s exciting to have young stars coming into cricket as teenagers and doing well on the world stage. The fearless brand of cricket young players bring makes the game more exciting and puts bums on seats. From my point of view, it’s a good challenge to go up against the best in the world. I imagine the New Zealand public is excited to see that talent in person," Ferguson explained.
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