NEW DELHI: Just after breaking the record in the Tri-Nation Series final, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made a cheeky admission of his abilities in 50-over cricket, saying many people may not even realize how much experience he has in the format.The 15-year-old featured in India A’s title-clinching win against Sri Lanka A on Sunday, smashing a blistering 94 off just 29 balls. In the process, he notched the fastest List A fifty in history, reaching the milestone in just 11 deliveries. His explosive start helped India A post 377/9 before dismissing Sri Lanka A for 311 to seal a comfortable 66-run win. Despite entering the final after a modest run with the bat and a tussle in the field against the same opponent in the previous match, Sooryavanshi said he never felt the pressure.“I didn’t think about anything. I just wanted to execute what I had planned in the top ten and move on from there,” Sooryavanshi said after being named man of the match.Questions were raised about the youngster’s form and temperament after he managed just 117 runs in four innings during the tournament. But Sooryavanshi revealed that discussions with the coaching staff helped him rediscover his rhythm.Watch: “No pressure. I didn’t execute what I wanted. But after consulting with the coaches, I got it right. I learned a lot in this series,” he said.Known mostly for his six-hitting exploits in T20 cricket, the left-hander insisted he is equally comfortable in the longer white-ball format.“I played a lot of 50-over cricket. I’m not sure people know about that,” he said.“The challenge was to adapt to different conditions, it was nice to accept it.”
Tilak Varma praise the team’s response
India A captain Tilak Varma praised the team’s resilience after recovering from back-to-back defeats earlier in the competition.“Everybody showed real character. Especially after losing back-to-back games. Then we won by a big margin which was unbelievable,” Tilak said.“Everybody has played domestic cricket and has experience. It’s just a matter of planning before the game. We start big, consolidate and accelerate,” he added.Sri Lanka captain Sahan Arachchige acknowledged the impact of Sooryavanshi’s innings.“Sooryavanshi played a brilliant innings. We managed the innings nicely but let it go in the last two overs,” Arachchige said.“When we’re chasing a big result, the top order can go down cheaply. It happens. The young guys played well, the seniors also scored. It was a good tournament,” he added.
