15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named ‘Player of the Series’ during the tour of Zimbabwe. He was the highest run-scorer in the T20 series, amassing 151 runs across three matches at an average of 50.33, including two half-centuries. Suryavanshi credited his stellar performance on the Zimbabwe tour to interim coach VVS Laxman and batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, noting that they provided him with complete strategic freedom and the right guidance.
On Sunday at the Harare Sports Club, Suryavanshi played an innings of 81 runs off 49 balls—featuring four sixes and eight fours—on a slow pitch. He was also named ‘Player of the Match’ for this magnificent knock. Earlier in the series, he had scored 50 runs off just 19 balls in the opening match. This stands in stark contrast to his poor performance in England, where he had managed only 42 runs across three innings.
In a video posted on the BCCI’s social media accounts on Monday, Suryavanshi said, “Playing for the senior Indian team and being named ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Series’ is a dream come true for me. I am very happy and want to thank everyone who supported me on this journey. I am grateful to the senior players and the coaching staff.”
Suryavanshi added, “Before the match, our head coach VVS Sir and Hrishikesh Sir spoke to me. They discussed how I was feeling at the time, as well as my mindset and feelings prior to the start of the series. They gave me complete freedom, telling me to just play and not worry about anything else.”
Suryavanshi also spoke about his connection with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan; both players hail from Bihar. Vaibhav noted that this helped him build a rapport easily within the national team setup. He said, “I don’t feel like I am alone or that I am in the senior team.” It feels like I play matches everywhere. Ishan bhaiya is also from Bihar, so our mindset and chemistry align really well.
