Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin stressed Indian opener Abhishek Sharma could have encouraged Sooryavanshi to remain calm, watch the ball closely and focus on playing deliveries on their merit in the second T20I against New Zealand.
The former India spinner also pointed out that coming in to bat during the sixth over was different from opening the innings, which is Sooryavanshi’s preferred role.
Sooryavanshi replaced injured Ishan Kishan in the playing XI but struggled to get going while batting at one down. He was dismissed after scoring four runs off eight balls.
“Abhishek was playing the same shot on every ball, and it did not work when Vaibhav was at the other end. It was his job to calm Vaibhav, rotate the strike, and give him some advice. That trick was missed. But it will be a valuable lesson for Vaibhav,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Ashwin added that Sooryavanshi should not be pushed to play too soon.
He added, “I feel we must not push for him to play so soon. He will get his chances. Don’t put so much pressure and expectation on him. If he misses these lessons, he will not become as big as he should.”
The former CSK off-spinner said Sooryavanshi will need to play at number three as Abhishek and Samson are doing a fine job.
“In the Asian Games, Vaibhav and Abhishek opened. Sanju played at three, and Ishan played further down. It was a very interesting take. That is not happening in this squad. We need Nitish here. So Vaibhav will have to play at three itself. I know it is not his ideal spot. At this stage, he has to open if he is to succeed. But the problem was that he came to bat in the fifth over today, and it is not easy. He needs to know how to find gaps and take singles at this position. But for a small kid to go to a new country and do this right away is difficult,” he explained.
The third T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday.
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