NEW DELHI: Captain India Shreyas Iyer reserved special praise for teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old produced a breathtaking power-hitting winner. India to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the opening T20I in Harare on Thursday.Sooryavanshi smashed 50 off just 19 balls, bringing up his maiden international half-century in just 18 deliveries as India chased down 126 in just 13.2 overs. The left-hander’s explosive innings also saw him become the youngest player in men’s international cricket to score a fifty, eclipsing a record previously held by Nepal’s Kushal Malla. After the emphatic win, Iyer was full of admiration for the teenager’s fearless approach.“He is fearless, the way he approaches the innings is amazing. He possesses immense confidence when he takes the field,” Iyer said after registering his first win as India’s T20I captain.
A perfect answer after a quiet tour of England
Sooryavanshi’s international career had got off to a quiet start earlier this month during India’s tour of England, where scores of 14, 13 and 15 saw him dropped for the final T20I as India lost the series.However, a return to Harare Sports Club – where he had blasted 175 from just 80 balls in the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year – was the perfect stage for the youngster to announce.READ ALSO: Sooryavanshi’s emotional ‘A’ celebration steals hearts after fifty historic world records – WatchAfter taking four deliveries to settle, Sooryavanshi launched a stunning counter-attack. He hammered four boundaries and four towering sixes, dismantling Zimbabwe’s bowling attack with a fearless display of strokeplay.His innings effectively ended the contest in the early Powerplay Richard Ngarava eventually bowled him after reaching his half-century.Ishan Kishan (35) and captain Iyer (28 not out) then completed the chase with ease.
Iyer celebrates first win as India captain
The win also marked an important personal milestone for Iyer, who finally tasted success after enduring a difficult start to his tenure as India’s T20I captain.Having lost all seven previous matches in charge during the tours of Ireland and England, the 31-year-old celebrated his first win as skipper in style.Iyer praised his bowlers and batsmen for executing the team’s plans perfectly.“Outstanding. They were tremendous in their execution. I couldn’t be happier to get my first win,” he said.The captain also explained his decision to bowl first after winning the toss.“I anticipated the bounce and there was a decent amount of bounce. Outstanding start given by Mayank. They didn’t give him space,” he said.Mayank Yadav set the tone by dismissing Brian Bennett with the first ball of the match before finishing with two wickets, while Prince Yadav also claimed two scalps as Zimbabwe were restricted to 125 for seven. India then made the chase easy thanks largely to Sooryavanshi’s stunning onslaught.