Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was one of three squad members who attended the optional practice session ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan that begins on Sunday. Tilak Varma, who arrived earlier in the day, and Abhishek Sharma made up the trio who hit the nets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Under the watchful eyes of India coach Gautam Gambhir, bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Sooryavanshi was the first to hit the nets and received regular feedback from Kotak, with conversation extending to almost 20 minutes in some instances. As the session progressed, the 15-year-old from Bihar was also involved in catching and fielding practices. A slight drizzle, however, interrupted the proceedings, forcing the groundstaff to bring out the covers. As the session drew to a close, Sooryavanshi once again had a long conversation with Gambhir and Kotak. The lengthy conversations appeared to suggest his involvement in the first contest of the series. Yet, the selectors will have a tough decision to make between his no-holds-barred approach versus Sanju Samson's equally aggressive batting, to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma.
"Having all three of them in the team is a luxury. They are flawless in their own departments. It is going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently. Whoever gets the opportunity, it’s for the team’s benefit. For the players sitting outside, it’s important that I have an interaction with them along with the coach and give them that confidence that, no matter what, they will get their opportunity when the day comes," said Shreyas Iyer. Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran, who will step in as T20I skipper for the first time, acknowledged the prowess of Sooryavanshi. He admitted that they have made plans for the left-hander and the knowledge of his Orange Cap-winning show in the IPL has put him on the radar.
Sooryavanshi, who scored 776 runs in the IPL, didn't have a positive start to life on the international stage, mustering 14, 13 and 15 runs, respectively, in three T20Is against England before giving way to Samson in the dead rubber in Southampton. The returns turned fruitful in Zimbabwe, though, with series-topping 151 runs, including a smashing 18-ball 50 and a 49-ball 81. On Friday, as Indian team broke into spinners and seamers against the batters, Sooryavanshi struggled to cope with Jasprit Bumrah's sheer pace. As the ball seamed off the surface, the Samastipur-born was beaten multiple times and found it daunting to deal with the challenge that is Jasprit Bumrah. Alas, Afghanistan don't hold the bowling quality that Bumrah produces. Rather, most teams don't. Under Delhi's hot and humid conditions, with one eye skyward due to recent rains, Sooryavanshi could be persisted with alongside former top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek.
Away from the top of the order dilemma, another point of worry for the Indian team will be the rising injury count ahead of the Asian Games in Japan. So much so that BCCI has begun hunting for a new Sports Science and Medicine head at the Centre of Excellence (CoE). Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakaravarthy are all making their return to cricket after time away from the field. Iyer said the injury count is not frustrating while stressing that the sheer volume of cricket currently is bound to affect the players sooner rather than later. "I feel it’s not frustrating. We need to understand, first of all, the amount of matches a player is playing continuously, rigorously. He’s bound to get injured some way or the other because the intensity is pretty high," said the India skipper on the eve of the T20I series. "We also need to understand that not every player thinks of getting injured deliberately. It is because they are putting in efforts for the team, and if that effort turns out to be on the negative side, you can’t control it."
"All you can control is whoever is available on that given day, and we need to give that sort of confidence to that particular player." "Talking about the combination, I feel that it certainly impacts the combination, but we know how all the players are. Even if there is a backup, he’s equally important for the team, and we know that they can deliver as well," he added.
India squad: Sheryas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi, Yash Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi.
Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Nangeliya Kharote, Abdollah Amhedzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed.
