England great Stuart Broad cannot wait to see the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi take the field in the UK next month. The left-handed batter, who recently smashed the fastest List-A fifty off just 11 balls against Sri Lanka A, is a part of India’s senior squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. Broad, the second-highest wicket-taker for England in Tests, admitted that he would get “starstruck” if he were to see Sooryavanshi play in the T20I series opener in Durham.
Sooryavanshi entered the Tri-Nation A Series final under the pump, failing to score in the opening four matches. However, the sledging war in the previous encounter against Sri Lanka A unleashed the beast in the youngster, as he hammered 94 off just 29 balls, hitting 10 fours and 8 sixes.
Before the final, Sooryavanshi was involved in a heated argument with Sri Lanka A players after the loss in the Super Over, and the cameras also picked up the youngster shoving one player away.
However, Broad went gaga over Sooryavanshi, saying he cannot wait to see the youngster set the stage ablaze in the UK.
“He’s got it all, hasn’t he? He’s got it all. He’s even getting into sledging now. OK, the cricket’s too easy. 11 balls. That’s crazy. I’m sure you’re probably not hoping, but I’m doing the first T20 up in Durham against India, what’s that, July the 1st? Wednesday, July the 1st? I just hope he plays. I really, I’ve actually got to be honest, I think I might be starstruck by him,” Broad said on the “For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“And do you know what? It’s not just us buying into the hype. I mean, you’ve obviously seen him, you’ve kept to him. I’ve spent the week with Dinesh Kartik, who’s one of the coaches, an assistant coach at RCB. And, of course, I’m like, seriously, what do you think of this guy? He’s unbelievable. He’s seriously unbelievable. You can’t get your head around how good this kid is,” he added.
Broad also said that people in the UK haven’t really seen enough of Sooryavanshi, and only whispers have circulated about his brilliance. And that is the main reason why he cannot wait to see the youngster take the field.
“Obviously, over this side of England, people are just hearing whispers really and seeing great bits of footage. But to hear guys that are seeing him week in, week out, going, this kid’s on a different level,” said Broad.
Buttler agrees
Former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler agreed with Broad, saying it’s remarkable to see what Sooryavanshi is managing to achieve at such a young age.
“Listen to this. Hit an 11-ball 50 for India A, the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket. So he’s at it again. I’ll get a few push and shoves in there as well,” said Buttler.
“It’s something we’ve just never seen before. And he’s worrying how many records and things he keeps ticking off so quickly. So, yeah, we’re going to need to keep him quiet as an England side in those T20S. No, he’s a different level. Absolutely. And actually quite cool,” he added.
After Sooryavanshi was named in the T20I squad, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed to HT Digital that the board would be making an exception for Sooryavanshi and let his parents accompany him to the UK.
“I see the BCCI have had to accept that he can travel with his parents on the tour because obviously he’s only 15 years old. But, yeah, it’s amazing. He keeps doing it. He’s going to be fun to watch for a couple of decades, said Buttler.