The monkey was finally off Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s back as the youngster smashed a terrific fifty, his first in international cricket, against Zimbabwe in the first T20I in Harare on Thursday. The southpaw came out all guns blazing and smashed a historic half-century in just 18 balls. Though he fell on the very next delivery, he had virtually sealed the game for India by then in the paltry chase of 126 runs. The teenager smashed four fours and several sixes as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The game also saw the return of pacer Mayank Yadav, who was named the Player of the Match for his bowling figures of 2 for 18 in four overs. After the contest, Mayank lavished praise on Sooryavanshi, recalling the 15-year-old batter’s sensational hitting against his IPL franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, earlier this year.
“His batting is unbelievable. When I bowled to him, he played some shots that you can’t expect from such a young player with so little experience. He always gives you a new experience and it’s great to watch him,” said Mayank.
“I think he can go very far because the talent he has at this age is fabulous. I never imagined a 15-year-old guy would come and smash everyone like that. It’s a great feeling to be in his team now because in the IPL, when we were playing against him, he smacked us like anything,” he added.
Talking about Sooryavanshi’s maiden international fifty, the fast bowler said, “I think it will be a very special moment for him. He didn’t have very good matches in the last couple of series and now he has got his first half-century for the country. That’s always a very special moment for any player, and especially for a 15-year-old kid. The way he smashed the ball was great.”
Sooryavanshi shone with a stunning fifty as India outplayed Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the first T20I to register Shreyas Iyer’s first win as captain. In the chase, the visitors reached home in 13.2 overs.
Earlier, India bowled superbly. Mayank (2/18) and Prince Yadav (2/19) shone with two wickets each as the side restricted Zimbabwe to 125 for 7 in 20 overs.