Clive Lloyd urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to keep natural batting style

Posted by By Cricket Enthusiast
'Don't try to change it': Sooryavanshi warned by 81-year-old cricket legend cricket news image
Original source image for 'Don't try to change it': Sooryavanshi warned by 81-year-old cricket legend.

Clive Lloyd has urged 15-year-old Indian batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to protect his natural batting style as the teenager continues to draw attention after a rapid India A innings in Dambulla.

The 81-year-old former West Indies captain, who led West Indies to World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979, said Sooryavanshi has ability and should not be pushed away from the method that has brought him early success. The comments were reported by Times of India.

Lloyd said Sooryavanshi’s natural method should be protected

Lloyd said Sooryavanshi has the qualities to remain a player to watch if the batter continues playing in his current manner. Lloyd said, “I think this guy’s got ability, and I’m sure that if he continues to play in the manner that he is playing, and that they don’t try to change it, you know, his style of play, I think we have a young man that we will be watching for quite a long while.”

Lloyd was also asked how Sooryavanshi might have handled the West Indies pace attack from Lloyd’s era. Lloyd’s team included fast bowlers Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft, and Lloyd said those bowlers would have tested Sooryavanshi’s character and skills because each bowler offered a different challenge.

Clive Lloyd urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to keep natural batting style cricket editorial visual 1

Supplemental editorial cricket visual for Clive Lloyd urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to keep natural batting style.

Lloyd said, “He has good eyesight. He is a good striker of the ball. Yeah, so it would be a good test for him and a good test for our bowlers.”

Clive Lloyd urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to keep natural batting style cricket editorial visual 2

Supplemental editorial cricket visual for Clive Lloyd urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to keep natural batting style.

The Dambulla innings put Sooryavanshi’s rise back in focus

Sooryavanshi recently represented India A in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla on Sunday. The left-hander reached fifty in 11 deliveries, which the source report described as the fastest fifty in List A cricket history.

Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 94 off 29 balls. The source report said a six from the final ball he faced would have taken him to a century and could have matched the fastest hundred in List A cricket.

Ireland T20I tour is the next reported step, but debut details remain open

Sooryavanshi is set to travel to Ireland for India’s upcoming two-match T20I series later this month. The source report said an international debut is widely expected during the tour, but no playing XI or debut date was confirmed in the report.

For India cricket readers, Lloyd’s comments matter because they place the focus on Sooryavanshi’s development rather than only on the speed of his scoring. The next confirmation to watch is whether India include Sooryavanshi in a match during the Ireland T20I series.