New Delhi: India’s backup bowling coach Sunil Joshi Urging everyone to focus on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s batting, heaped praise on the teenage star after his record-breaking knock in the T20I opener against Zimbabwe, while revealing that the youngster’s bowling will be gradually developed at the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE).Sooryavanshi lit up Harare Sports Club with a stunning 18-ball half-century, becoming the youngest player to score 50 points in T20Is. His whirlwind innings, which included four fours and four sixes, turned India’s chase of 126 into a one-sided affair, with the defending T20 World Cup champions sealing victory off 40 balls to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Ahead of the second T20I, Joshi said the teenager’s explosive batting should remain the main focus.“I think the first thing is, let’s focus on his batting. He performed well and I’m happy that he performed well. It’s a happy hunting ground for him. He performed well in the U19 World Cup final here. He had a good performance yesterday as well,” Joshi told reporters.The former India spinner also revealed that Sooryavanshi’s bowling is part of the long-term plan.“Waibhav is very happy with his batting. Whenever we get time to bowl against him, I work with him in the CoE. Whenever we see him bowling well, we will definitely look at that quickly,” he said.
Joshi backs young talent, calls for patience Surjansh hut
Joshi also called for patience with emerging seam bowling all-rounder Sujansh Shechi, who has worked with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey.The stand-in bowling coach insisted that every player has his own journey and warned against premature comparisons.“Listen, we shouldn’t compare. Sujansh is carving a place in the Indian team. Hardik has taken his place. Shivam also takes his place. So, he’s a rising talent. We must stick with him. He is working on good things and good areas. This is the T20 format we want,” he said.Joshi also highlighted India’s bowling depth, pointing out top batsmen Abhishek Sharma There is also 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 coach always wants him to get better every time. We also have Tilak Varma. He is another option bowler. We discussed with him not to run too much, play more dot balls and focus on the basics,” he further added.
Bishnoi’s run-up tweaks pay dividends
Joshi also praised leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who revealed that minor tweaks to his run-up helped him regain form after a tough match against England earlier this month.Bishnoi endured a memorable 0/60 record in Manchester, with England batsman Jacob Besser scoring 29 runs in a single game. However, the leg-spinner responded with impressive figures of 1/24 in four overs in Harare.According to Joshi, this improvement has not changed Bishnoi’s bowling action.“It’s important to understand that winning is a must and that has happened and I’m very happy with the bowling performance. Bishnoi’s actions have not changed anything,” he said.“He readjusted his run-up position a little bit. We also communicated with Sairaj Bahutule. We had a good chat with him. Ultimately, we found out that he wasn’t even close to returning to the crease, which was very pleasing for him and, to be honest, for us too,” he explained.
