Vaibhav Suryavanshi Made To Wait In Bid To Surpass Virat Kohli's Terrific Feat As USAs Indian-Origin Pacer Castles Star Batter
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's U19 World Cup debut turned out to be a forgettable one as the star batter was dismissed for 2 off four balls in a rain-affected match against USA
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's U19 World Cup debut turned out to be a forgettable one as the star batter was dismissed for 2 off four balls in a rain-affected match against USA at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. Suryavanshi needed six runs to surpass Virat Kohli (978) in the list of top run-getters for India in U19 ODIs. However, he will now have to wait for at least one more match to overtake the cricket great. Currently, Suryavanshi has 975 runs in 19 U19 ODI matches.
On the second ball of the third over from Indian-origin pacer Ritvik Appidi, Suryavanshi was bowled while attempting a heave on the on-side after the delivery angled across the left-hander. The pacer gave an aggressive send-off to the Indian batter, who looked visibly dejected as he left the field with his head down.
Suryavanshi knows he can do much better. The left-hander's resume reads like a career highlight reel compressed into mere months: a 38-ball century in IPL 2025 for Rajasthan Royals, the fastest 150 in men's List A cricket off 59 deliveries, and India's second-highest Youth ODI score of 171 off 95 balls. His 144 off 42 balls against the UAE in the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 match added further weight to his glittering profile.
But beyond the statistics lies a transformation that those closest to him believe will be decisive in the tournament ahead. Manish Ojha, who recognised Suryavanshi's talent at age 10 and coaches him at Gennex Cricket Academy in Patna - around 100 km from his hometown Samastipur - sees him as a player who has evolved rapidly since his IPL breakthrough.
"I have seen a change in terms of his game sense. He used to be aggressive before, but not in the way he is now. After his IPL 2025 stint, his confidence has been very high, and he can hit very good balls over the boundary ropes. Right from the very first ball, he puts the bowler under pressure, and if needed, he can take his time before going aggressive again.
"He now approaches the game from two to three dimensions and is very optimistic in his mindset - like he's aggressive in T20s and 50-over games, while showing patience in red-ball cricket. His maturity has increased, his shot selection against different kinds of deliveries has improved, and he now better judges which balls he can hit over the fence. Even his sixes are getting bigger and longer," Ojha told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Wednesday
India U19
USA