NEW DELHI: India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the 15-year-old has all the qualities to become a match-winner for the national team.Kishan’c comments came after India’s 90-run win over Zimbabwe in the second T20I in Harare on Saturday. India were in early trouble after losing Abhishek Sharma (8) and Sooryavanshi (20) inside the first three overs, slipping to 29/2. Kishan then played a brilliant knock of 81 off 44 balls to guide India to 219/5. Zimbabwe were later bowled out for 129 as India sealed the three-match series 2-0 with one game to spare.Kishan said the senior members of the squad are helping Sooryavanshi settle into international cricket and are encouraging him to ignore distractions away from the game.
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“Vaibhav is actually very smart. He knows what he is doing,” Kishan said after India’s win.“He knows how he has to bat and how he has to carry himself on and off the field.”The wicketkeeper-batter revealed that he, Abhishek Sharma, captain Axar Patel and other experienced players regularly speak to the youngster to ensure he remains focused.“When you represent India, you have to know what to focus on,” he said.“Me, Abhishek, Axar bhai and many others keep telling him to think about cricket, not social media or outside noise.”Kishan said the team wants Sooryavanshi to learn from the experiences of the senior players and avoid getting distracted early in his career.“When you have such a player and you know that he is very young, you will never want him to be distracted for the wrong reasons.“So our job as a team, we are like brothers and he comes from my place, so we just have to be happy, focus on the important things. The mistakes we have made in our starting, he should not do that. He should enjoy his cricket, like he is doing now.”Kishan believes Sooryavanshi’s attacking style can have a major impact on India’s performances.“If he stays on the pitch, the difference he can create for the team is huge. A player who can attack from the first ball can take you to 80-90 runs in the powerplay,” he said.
