Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to show that there is much more to his game than his batting. The 15-year-old once again proved his versatility during the Duleep Trophy, making a crucial contribution with the ball when East Zone needed wickets against North East Zone.
With Ishan Kishan-led East Zone struggling to break through, Sooryavanshi was introduced as a left-arm spinner. The youngster made an immediate impact, picking up two wickets in the second innings. He ended his spell with impressive figures of 2/11 from three overs as East Zone strengthened its position in the match.
Speaking a few days after East Zone’s victory, Sooryavanshi revealed what went through his mind when he was handed the ball. He also shared an interesting detail about Kishan’s decision to use him, saying the captain believed he was taking a gamble because he was not fully aware of the teenager’s bowling ability.
Sooryavanshi’s first breakthrough came when Kishan Lyngdoh tried to take on the spinner but mistimed his shot towards mid-wicket. He returned a few deliveries later to dismiss Imliwati Lemtur, who edged the ball through to the wicketkeeper.
“If you ask any batter, he enjoys bowling. Or if you ask a bowler, he enjoys batting. The opponents weren’t losing wickets, so I was asked to bowl 2-3 overs. Ishan bhaiya thought that he was taking a risk in giving me the ball. But he didn’t know that I’m a wicket taker,” Sooryavanshi said in a video shared by BCCI Domestic.
The youngster knew he would not get a long spell and focused on making every delivery count.
“I always knew that even if I take five wickets, I will only get three overs to bowl. So I tried to bowl as well as I could. I was just trying to repeatedly land the ball in one area. It’s a lot of fun. I didn’t do well with the bat in the last match. So it’s a lot of fun to contribute to the team’s bowling. And of course, if a batter takes a wicket, he never enjoys it more than that. So it’s a lot of fun,” he added.
