India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (AP Photo)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s remarkable start to international cricket continued to draw praise, with India interim head coach VVS Laxman highlighting the teenager’s maturity and willingness to learn after his composed innings in the third T20I against Zimbabwe. The 15-year-old anchored India’s batting effort with a well-crafted 81 off 49 deliveries in Harare, hitting eight fours and four sixes to guide the visitors to 192/5. India went on to register a 35-run victory, completing a clean sweep of the three-match series. Sooryavanshi finished as both Player of the Match and Player of the Series after scoring 151 runs across the three games. Unlike his explosive fifty in the opening T20I, Sooryavanshi had to alter his approach in the series finale.

Batting on a used surface where the ball gripped and came slowly onto the bat, the left-hander paced his innings smartly. He reached his fifty in 31 balls before lifting the scoring rate to finish with a strike rate of 165.30. Speaking after the match, Laxman said the youngster’s biggest strength was his ability to constantly evaluate his performances and improve with every opportunity. “Very mature. And that’s what I really appreciate about Vaibhav. With each and every experience, each and every match, he understands, he assesses, and he gets better,” Laxman said. “So I think he does a lot of review of each and every practice session. Not only match.” Laxman pointed out that the conditions in Harare demanded a different batting approach and praised Sooryavanshi for recognising what the situation required instead of sticking to his natural attacking game. “So today what you saw was a mature innings. Because it was a used wicket. The wicket which we played the match on yesterday. So the ball was stopping and coming. The wicket was slow,” Laxman said. The former India batter also revealed that Zimbabwe had prepared specific plans to restrict the young opener after his impact earlier in the series, but Sooryavanshi responded impressively. “And I thought today the Zimbabweans bowled well. Had a plan to him. So he countered that plan. And it was a very, very mature knock from Vaibhav.” The innings showcased another side of Sooryavanshi’s game. After blasting a 19-ball half-century in the series opener, the teenager demonstrated that he could also build an innings according to the demands of the conditions. His ability to shift gears and overcome Zimbabwe’s bowling plans added another dimension to an already impressive start to his international career.