15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi performed brilliantly in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. He scored 81 runs in the final match and won the Player of the Match and Player of the Series titles, helping India win the series 3–0.
Harare [जिम्बाब्वे]July 26 (ANI): Young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi played a key role in India’s 3-0 T20I series win against Zimbabwe. He described winning the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards as a “dream come true” after another explosive innings at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
After captain Shreyas Iyer decided to bat first, the 15-year-old opener played a brilliant inning of 81 runs in 49 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes, helping India post a score of 192/5. India then restricted Zimbabwe to 157/7 and won by 35 runs, completing a clean sweep of the series.
Thanked the team for the support
Talking about his performance throughout the series, Suryavanshi credited the team’s preparation and support from the dressing room. After receiving his POTM and POTS awards during the post-match presentation, Suryavanshi said, “It felt great. Our preparation during the two-three days after reaching Harare was very good. I have also played the Under-19 World Cup here, so I really enjoy playing on this ground. The captain, the coach, everyone supported me, so I am very happy.”
The young player said that despite playing his first full T20I series for India, his outlook has not changed. “My game is the same as I play in T20 cricket. I was just trying to do the same for the team. In all three matches, I tried to give good starts to the team. If I got a good start, I wanted to make the innings big. That was my only approach,” he said.
Suryavanshi once again gave India a flying start, taking the visitors to 64/1 at the end of the powerplay. He completed his second T20I half-century in just 31 balls, but missed out on a century after being dismissed by Wesley Madhevere in the 15th over.
Credit for success given to practice
When asked about his aggressive batting, the opener said that his success came from playing the shots he practices every day. The destructive batsman said, “The shots I play are the ones I practice. Whatever I do in the practice session, I try to repeat it in the match.”
India’s total was further boosted by the contributions of Ishan Kishan (29), captain Shreyas Iyer (27) and Rinku Singh, who scored 25 runs in just 14 balls. Zimbabwe’s innings never recovered while chasing the target, when Yash Thakur dismissed Brian Bennett on the first ball of the innings and then sent Dion Myers and Sikandar Raza to the pavilion in the same spell. Mayank Yadav took three wickets, while Ravi Bishnoi and Ashok Sharma took one wicket each. Ryan Burl’s unbeaten 54 proved insufficient and the hosts were reduced to 157/7.
Receiving both individual honors after the match, Suryavanshi admitted that the achievement was a dream he had dreamed of for a long time. He concluded, “Yes, it is indeed a dream come true moment. I am very happy to receive my first Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards.”
The clean sweep was India’s third consecutive T20I win and proved to be a memorable series for the young opener, who emerged as a standout performer with his fearless strokeplay at the top of the order. (ANI)
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