A match after being used at No. 3, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was restored to his familiar opening slot in the third T20I against New Zealand. The result: a 19-ball 45 featuring four sixes and four fours. His strike rate was a mind-boggling 236.84. In the second T20I, when he batted at No. 3, Sooryavanshi had scored four off eight balls. Former India batter Sadagopan Ramesh felt that by promoting Sooryavanshi to the opener’s slot, the team management had given the teenager a “chocolate”.
“Sooryavanshi got a chocolate from the team management when they sent him to open. He batted with the freedom of a small boy on a Friday evening who is free in the mind, knowing the next two days are off,” he said in a video.
Ramesh, who played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs, was effusive in his praise of Abhishek Sharma.
“Abhishek Sharma is batting like someone whom bowlers fear just by hearing his name. He batted like a demon today. Almost all the records for the fastest opening partnerships were broken. Scoring 133 runs in seven overs equates to a run rate of 19, which is just astonishing. Despite there still being time for Diwali, the Indian batters, especially Abhishek, kept bursting Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 crackers with the bat,” he said.
India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer described the batting display of Abhishek Sharma and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as “absolutely stunning” after their explosive start powered India to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I on Tuesday, sealing an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
“Absolutely stunning. It was pleasing to the eyes the way they played their strokes. Also, when Sanju and I went out to bat, the ball was seaming, and I was like, how did they manage this? It was simply mind-boggling,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation.
Sharma smashed a blistering 113 off just 38 balls, including 11 sixes and nine fours, while Sooryavanshi contributed 45 off 19 deliveries as India chased down New Zealand’s target of 199 in just 13.2 overs, with 40 balls to spare.
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