‘His maturity, understanding and awareness have skyrocketed’ - VVS Laxman heaps praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after Zimbabwe T20I heroics

Stand-in India head coach VVS Laxmanshowered praise on teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his match-winning performance in the third T20I against Zimbabwe, highlighting the youngster's rapid growth as a cricketer and person over the last six months.

Sooryavanshi starred with a composed 81 as India defeated Zimbabwe by 35 runs in Harare on Sunday, July 26, completing a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20I series.

Reflecting on Sooryavanshi's innings, Laxman lauded the youngster's ability

to adapt to the conditions and counter Zimbabwe's bowling plans. The former India batter also revealed that the left-hander's willingness to review every practice session has played a significant role in his development.

"Very mature. That's what I really appreciate about Vaibhav. With every experience and every match, he understands, assesses and gets better. He reviews every practice session, not just matches,” Laxman was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

"What you saw today was a mature innings because it was a huge ground and the wicket was slow, with the ball stopping a bit. I thought the Zimbabwe bowlers had a plan against him today, and he countered that plan. It was a very, very mature knock from Vaibhav," he continued.

Laxman also pointed to Sooryavanshi's cricketing awareness and the remarkable progress he has made since his breakthrough IPL campaign earlier this year. The teenager dominated the tournament, finishing as the Most Valuable Player after amassing 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30.

"He knows his game. For him, as with anyone, it's just about minute adjustments in terms of skill. But what is really impressive is the way he's evolved as a person," Laxman explained.

"His maturity, understanding and awareness over the last six months have skyrocketed. That's why he's been able to handle tough situations and perform under pressure against the best players."

While impressed with Sooryavanshi's all-round development, Laxman believes improving his overall fitness will be the next step in the youngster's journey. The India coach, however, stressed the importance of managing his workload given his age and backed him to enjoy a long international career.

"The one area we want him to improve is his overall fitness. He's a very young boy. He himself wants to get better in every aspect of the game. Even today, when he got injured [while attempting a diving catch running in from deep square leg], he still wanted to stay on the field. It was our physio who asked him to come off. That's the eagerness and earnestness he has to contribute in every possible way to the team," he stated. 

Laxman also expressed confidence that the teenager has the mindset to continue improving and fulfil his immense potential.

"He's got a long career ahead, and he has the attitude and mindset to improve every day. I'm sure he will progress and break all the records at the international level,” Laxman concluded.

The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after scoring two half-centuries during the three-match contest.