New Zealand throws Sooryavanshi a challenge: ‘Let’s see how he faces pacy bounce’

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to tour New Zealand for five T20Is in October. (CREIMAS)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has prevailed over nearly every challenge that has come his way so far in professional cricket. At 13, he debuted in the Ranji Trophy. By the time he was 14, he had blasted the IPL record for the fastest century by an Indian. At 15, he won the IPL Orange Cap and also became India’s youngest-ever debutant, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar.

They said he could not succeed in red-ball cricket. Sooryavanshi nearly returned his maiden First Class century during a victorious Duleep Trophy campaign with East Zone earlier this month. He is the youngest member of India’s contingent at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

While Sooryavanshi has found himself on the bench over India’s last four T20Is at home against Afghanistan and a one-off contest against Japan earlier this week, he remains in the spotlight nevertheless. New Zealand head coach Rob Walter has now handed out a fresh task for the teenager, ahead of the BlackCaps extensive white-ball series against India, starting October 21.

ALSO READ | ‘Cannot come half-cooked’: Gambhir warns injured India star before ODI comeback

New Zealand unveiled their T20I squad for the five-match series on Wednesday, with Mitchell Santner slated to lead the side. Walter said that he is looking forward to see how Sooryavanshi soaks in the quicker pitches in New Zealand and tackles the excessive bounce on offer for the seamers.

“Yes, I’d love to see him on pacy and bouncy wickets and see how different that looks. But he’s an exciting player. You’ve seen him dominate against the world’s best bowlers in the IPL. I think the challenge is always to see how that translates to different conditions, and also how we bowl to him in our conditions,” Walter was quoted as saying.

“Again, secretly as a coach, you always want to see your players under a little bit of pressure and how we respond to that. So looking forward to it, if that is the case. If he’s not here, they do have a lot of very good players other than him,” he added.

Story continues below this ad

India and New Zealand last square off in the T20 World Cup final in March, where the Men in Blue emerged victorious, clinching their third title with a dominating win in Ahmedabad.

“I suppose it is there. No one likes to lose a final. I’ve done it twice, so I know all about it. But I think what comes first is representing the Black Caps and New Zealand well,” reflected Walter.

“So you’ve got a group of players who are always trying to do that first. Of course, if you manage to get a couple of victories at home, that would be great,” he said.