Sooryavanshi took the Sri Lanka A bowling attack to the cleaners in the title clash.
India A opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the Sri Lanka A bowling attack to the cleaners in the Tri-Nation A series final at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Sunday (June 21).
Ahead of the title clash, the 15-year-old was struggling for big runs and had registered modest scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38. He was also under scrutiny for his physical altercation with a Sri Lanka A player during the round-robin stage.
However, the teenager produced his best when it matted the most, smashing 94 off 29 balls with 10 fours and 8 sixes to power India A to a mammoth total of 377/9. In the process, he brought up the half-century in just 11 balls – the fastest-ever in List A cricket.
In response, Sri Lanka A’s innings for 311 in 47.1 overs. Pacer Yash Thakur (3-45) and spinner Vipraj Nigam (3-60) were the chief destroyers, halting the resilient middle-order fightback led by Wanuja Sahan (62) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (52).
Speaking during the post-match presentation after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award, Sooryavanshi said he was focused on making the most of first 10 overs and executed pre-planned strategies without letting the immense pressure get to him.
“I didn't think too much, just wanted to make the most of the first 10 overs and execute what I had planned,” Sooryavanshi stated.
“(Was there pressure because all eyes were on him?) There was no pressure, but I was trying to execute the plans that were not working. I talked to the coaches and worked on it in practice. Today, the plan was executed and the result came out on its own,” he added.
When asked about the learnings from this series, Sooryavanshi acknowledged the exposure to different conditions and pitches in Sri Lanka, reminding fans that he possesses plenty of 50-over match experience.
“I've learned a lot, but I've played 50 overs a lot. Why are people surprised? Different conditions, different pitches, a little different to play, but it was fun and a good series,” he concluded.