Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Not Interested In Hitting Centuries? 'That's Not His Style'

Having made a name for himself with his fearless brand of cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has carried that approach into international cricket. A prime example came during India’s 35-run win over Zimbabwe in the third T20I, when he attempted a big shot while batting on 81, only for his innings to end after an excellent catch in the deep.

The 15-year-old fell 19 runs short of what would have been a historic century, but instead of tempering his natural game to try and attempt to get close to the milestone, he continued to back his attacking instincts.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer believes Sooryavanshi is not someone who chases personal milestones, and that mindset has been key to his success.

“Of course, we all want him to score big hundreds,

but somehow that’s not his style,” The Indian Express quoted Jaffer as saying. “He keeps playing his shots and goes for the big hits, and that’s also the reason behind his success.”

“It’s really nice to see that the pressure of the scoreboard or individual milestones doesn’t get into his head. Even today, he played some excellent shots, but unfortunately, the catch that dismissed him was absolutely brilliant,” he added.

Sooryavanshi has repeatedly shown that he is unfazed by the occasion – whether it was scoring a century in the U19 World Cup final earlier this year, launching his IPL career last year with a first-ball six, or smashing back-to-back 90s in the IPL playoffs.

“He plays absolutely fearless cricket,” Jaffer said. “We saw him in the IPL knockouts as well, where he missed out on two centuries after getting into the 90s. He could have easily played a few more balls and taken singles, but that’s just not his nature. That’s not how he plays the game, and that’s something to like about him.”

After a slow start to his India career in England, Sooryavanshi bounced back with two half-centuries on the Zimbabwe tour, earning the Player of the Series award.