Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has endured a difficult start to his international career, registering three low scores in a row. After taking the IPL and Under-19 cricket by storm with his explosive batting, the 15-year-old Bihar-born batter earned a well-deserved India call-up.
He received his maiden cap in the second T20I against England, becoming the youngest player to debut for India in the format. However, his impact on English soil has been limited so far, with pacer Jofra Archer emerging as his biggest challenge. Archer has dismissed Sooryavanshi in two of the three matches played so far, with both wickets coming against his Rajasthan Royals teammate.
Having spent considerable time together in the Rajasthan Royals camp during the IPL, an old video has resurfaced on social media that now appears especially relevant. In the clip, a reporter asks Archer about his strategy for bowling to Sooryavanshi during the IPL. The England pacer cleverly sidestepped the question, saying, “I’ll tell you that after the IPL ends.”
Now facing each other on opposite sides, Archer appears to be putting those insights from the Rajasthan Royals nets to good use. Interestingly, both dismissals came via short-pitched deliveries, with Sooryavanshi falling for 13 and 15 respectively.
Meanwhile, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali praised Archer for his excellent bowling against the teenage batter, which played a key role in helping the hosts take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
“I loved the way Jof (Archer) was bowling to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. His only issue is going to be that if he doesn’t score in the next two, three, or five games, then that becomes an issue. I still think he is so good. The way he is getting out now, for me, that is not a weakness. I’ve seen him hit those balls for six. I’m not worried about him. It’s the rest of the guys coming down the order,” England’s Moeen Ali said on ‘Beard Before Wicket’.
The fifth and last T20I of the five-match series between India and England will be played on Saturday in Southampton.