Yuvraj Singh, who played pivotal roles in India’s 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup wins, is very happy watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, teenage cricket prodigy, performing in IPL, and playing amazingly in U19 World Cup. While the boy’s first season was good, 15-year-old, concerns over how he would play the second season were raised. Yet, Sooryavanshi dismissed all those fears in style when he knocked 15-ball 50 to help Rajasthan Royals chase down a against Chennai Super Kings.
Sooryavanshi came out all guns blazing and scored a blistering 52 off just 17 balls comprising five sixes and four boundaries. His fearless approach and complete freedom in strokes were the hallmark of this innings. Yuvraj mentioned that he is in awe of Sooryavanshi’s courageous mentality and that his bat speed is so fast that it even beats his own. Besides, he also admired the youngster’s confidence in taking on bowlers of top quality.
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“The most remarkable thing about Vaibhav is his bat speed. His bat speed is incredibly fast, honestly, even I didn’t have that kind of speed. I’ve seen very few players with such quick hands… What stood out for me was the way he hit sixes on the off-side, even against good deliveries, that showed real quality,” Yuvraj said on Sports Tak podcast.
This talented youth made landmark headlines with his outstanding 175-run knock off 80 balls against England in the finals of U-19 World Cup. This inning, which had 15 fours and 15 sixes, saw him reaching his century in just 55 balls – one of the fastest centuries in tournament history and India won the title for the sixth time.
Having just celebrated his 15th birthday, Sooryavanshi can now be considered for the senior team. Yuvraj, deepening his previous admiration, feels that the boy making it to the Indian team is not a matter of “if” but “when”.
“IPL cricket has changed everything… As far as Vaibhav is concerned, I think 90 per cent of people already know that he will play for India. The question is not if, but when… But overall, I believe he will play for India. It’s just a matter of when,” he added.
