Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reflected on his match-winning performance in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe, saying that making an impact early in one’s career plays a crucial role in boosting
confidence for upcoming assignments. Sooryavanshi became the youngest to score a fifty in international cricket during the first game of the three-match series. The opener scored 50 off 19 balls for his maiden T20I fifty and broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar in the process.
Sachin Tendulkar was the previous youngest batter to score an international fifty from a full member side. He was 16 years and 213 days old when he scored 59 against Pakistan on his Test debut tour in Faisalabad in 1989.
“When it’s the starting phase of your career and you get these kinds of innings early on and you perform well it builds confidence for the upcoming matches. And it felt like I was in my zone and I just bagged my strength; that was all. I would dedicate this fifty to my family and to my coaches and to everyone who has supported me along my journey through every good and bad phase,” he said in a video shared by BCCI.
After completing his fifty, the batter made an ‘A’ sign with both his hands above his head. Explaining his celebration, he said that the celebration was in fact a tribute to his mother Aarti. ‘‘I did that celebration for my mum, and the other one was based on a conversation I had with Rinku Bhaiya and I had.”
Harare Continues to be Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Happy Hunting Ground
Harare Cricket Club in Zimbabwe has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Sooryavanshi with the teenager having some fond memories. Earlier this year, he smashed a sensational 175 off 80 balls against England in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final at the same venue after blasting 68 against Afghanistan in the semi-finals, helping India lift a record sixth Under 19 World Cup.
“You could say that I like the vibe here. There are some grounds where we just love scoring runs. Maybe it’s like that but I’m not taking this for granted at all. I’m just trying to give my best contribution to the team and perform well whenever I play,” he added.
This was his fourth T20I match and the 15-year-old came into this match after scores of 14, 13 and 15 in his first three T20Is against England. This was a crucial half century for him and he will be hoping this is the first of many. Talking about the game, India won the opening match of the series and took an early lead in the series. These two sides will play the second T20I on 25th July.
