New Zealand plot downfall of 'incredible' India teen Sooryavanshi

Oct 20 - New Zealand have done their homework on India prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and expect their home conditions will challenge the 15-year-old sensation in the Twenty20 series starting on Thursday, paceman Jacob Duffy said.

Sooryavanshi has lit up world cricket with his power-hitting, breaking a string of records in the Indian Premier League before becoming India's youngest international in the men's game with his debut in the T20 series in England in July.

After a slow start against England, the teenage opener became the youngest player to score a half-century in men's international cricket when he clobbered an 18-ball fifty against Zimbabwe.

He recently won an Asian Games gold medal in Japan as India swept to the T20 cricket title in Aichi-Nagoya.

Duffy said New Zealand had been studying the left-hander in the buildup to the five-match series, which starts at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.

"First of all, he's an incredible talent. Obviously, he's taken the IPL by storm and what's amazing, he strikes it so hard but he does it so consistently," Duffy told reporters on Tuesday.

"He's striking at 250 (strike-rate) every game and he's not missing out very often. So that's incredible in itself.

"I think he played in England, so conditions will be a little bit different for him, so that's obviously one thing for him to be challenged with.

"We've certainly had a good scouting session on him and got our plans as to what we want to do to him."

India fans will be eager to see what Sooryavanshi can do in New Zealand, where the pitches tend to be seam-friendly.

Duffy said he had spoken to Hagley Oval's head groundsman about what to expect from the wicket, hoping that it will not be a batter's paradise like some subcontinent pitches.

"He's from Invercargill, so he's promised me a little bit of bounce," said Duffy, who was born in Lumsden, a small town near the South Island city.

"As long as it's not Hyderabad, I'm happy."

The T20 series is the first part of India's tour, with one-day matches and a two-test series to follow.

Otago bowler Duffy has had a big year, claiming the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal as New Zealand's top player in 2025 and making the final of this year's T20 World Cup in India before winning the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He made his test debut last year at the age of 31 but missed the mid-year tour of England and the one-off test against Ireland to be home with his wife for the birth of their first child.

The absence from the test setup has made him doubly keen to tear into India with the red ball ahead of a four-test tour of Australia.

"I've played four tests in my life. I get up for any test. There's something special about them," he said. REUTERS