How Afghanistan Prepared For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Challenge In T20 Series Opener

Afghanistan prepared for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi challenge© BCCI/Creimas

As Afghanistan prepare to take on the Shreyas Iyer-led India in a 3-match T20I series, the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi threat is bound to be talked about. Ahead of the opening match on Sunday, Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran admitted that Sooryavanshi is a special talent, against whom his team has prepared a plan. While inputs have been sought from players who have played against Sooryavanshi in the past, Afghanistan have also seen a lot of videos featuring India's 15-year-old opener to understand what his strengths and weaknesses are.

Sooryavanshi is coming into the series on the back of a victorious Duleep Trophy campaign with East Zone. He scored a total of 192 runs in 5 innings across 3 matches for the team, including a 92-run knock that was crucial to the team's semifinal triumph against the Central Zone. Having shown a glimpse of his potential in red-ball cricket, the teenage prodigy is now back to the format that made him a household name.

"He is an amazing talent. He performed really well in the IPL, and he has been performing across different levels of competitions. We talked about him, and we have that knowledge from the guys who played against him in the IPL," said Zadran in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the opening fixture.

"We have watched his videos. We will try to keep it simple for ourselves and will look to execute our plans," he added.

Zadran was named Afghanistan's captain earlier this year, taking over the role from the talismanic Rashid Khan. Keen to repay the faith shown in him by the management, Zadran is ready to give his 100 per cent on the field.

"It's a big responsibility for me. As a player and captain, I'm trying to enjoy it, take responsibility and make the right decisions in pressure situations," he said.

"We know the conditions really well. We just need to execute the plan as the situation warrants. We just try to give 100 per cent and think about the process. Hopefully, we're going to have a good series," he added. 

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