NEW DELHI: The Indian bowling coach Sunil Joshi urged everyone to keep focus firmly on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s batting, praising the teenager’s sensation after his record knock in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe while revealing that the youngster’s bowling will be gradually developed at the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE).Sooryavanshi lit up the Harare Sports Club with a breathtaking 18-ball half-century, becoming the youngest player to score a T20I fifty. His whirlwind innings, featuring four fours and four sixes, turned India’s chase of 126 into a one-sided affair as the reigning T20 World Cup champions sealed victory with 40 balls to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Ahead of the second T20I, Joshi said the teenager’s explosive batsman should be the primary focus.“I think the first thing is, let’s look at his batting. He has been sensational and I am happy that he has done well. This is a happy hunting ground for him. He did well in the U19 World Cup final here. He had a good performance yesterday as well,” Joshi told reporters.The former Indian spinner also disclosed that Sooryavanshi’s bowling is part of the long-term plan.“Vaibhav has been very comfortable with his batting. As long as we have time in his bowling, I will work with him in the CoE. As long as we see him bowling well, we will definitely and quickly focus on it,” he said.
Joshi supports the young talent, urges patience with Suryansh Shedge
Joshi also asked for patience with Suryansh Shedge, who drew comparisons with established stars like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.The stand-in bowling coach insisted that every player has his own journey and warned against making premature comparisons.“Look, we should not compare. Suryansh is making his place in the Indian team. Hardik made his place. Shivam also made his place. So, he is a growing talent. We have to persist with it. It is working on good things and good areas. That is what we want in the T20 format,” he said.Joshi also highlighted the bowling depth available in the India team, pointing to the top batsmen. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who can also contribute with the ball.“I think all three are good bowlers and all-rounders, although Abhishek Sharma has improved a lot. The coaches always want him to improve every time for the best. We also have Tilak Varma with us. He is another optional bowler. We have conversations with him about not giving too many runs, bowling more dot balls, and focusing on the basics,” he added.
Bishnoi’s tweak is paying dividends
Joshi also heaped praise on leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, revealing that a minor adjustment to his run helped him bounce back after a tough outing against England earlier this month.Bishnoi endured a forgettable spell of 0/60 in Manchester, where English batsman Jacob Bethell smashed 29 runs in a single over. However, the leg-spinner responded impressively in Harare with figures of 1/24 from four overs.According to Joshi, the improvement came without any change to Bishnoi’s bowling action.“It is important to understand that the victory was a must, which happened, and I am very happy with the bowling performances. Bishnoi has not changed anything in his action,” he said.“He re-aligned the run-up a little. We also communicated with Sairaj Bahutule. We had good conversations with him. Eventually, we saw that he is not even close to the correct return, which is very nice for him, honestly, and for us too,” he explained.