A 15-year-old cricketer has former England fast bowler Stuart Broad admitting he might be starstruck.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the Indian batting teenager, recently scored a fifty off just 11 balls against Sri Lanka A, the fastest half-century in List A history. He has since been called up to India's senior squad for upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. According to Yahoo Sports, Broad discussed the youngster on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.
"He's got it all, hasn't he? He's got it all. He's even getting into sledging now. OK, the cricket's too easy. 11 balls. That's crazy. I'm sure you're probably not hoping, but I'm doing the first T20 up in Durham against India, what's that, July the 1st? ....I just hope he plays. I really, I've actually got to be honest, I think I might be starstruck by him," Broad said.
Broad also described conversations he had with Dinesh Kartik, an assistant coach at RCB, about Sooryavanshi's ability.
"And do you know what? It's not just us buying into the hype. I mean, you've obviously seen him, you've kept to him. I've spent the week with Dinesh Kartik, who's one of the coaches, an assistant coach at RCB. And, of course, I'm like, seriously, what do you think of this guy? He's unbelievable. He's seriously unbelievable. You can't get your head around how good this kid is," Broad said, directing his remarks to fellow panelist Jos Buttler.
Broad also noted that most people in England have only seen clips and heard secondhand accounts of Sooryavanshi's play.
"Obviously, over this side of England, people are just hearing whispers really and seeing great bits of footage. But to hear guys that are seeing him week in, week out, going, this kid's on a different level," he said.
Buttler, the former England white-ball captain, added his own assessment of the teenager's record-breaking performance.
"Listen to this. Hit an 11-ball 50 for India A, the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket. So he's at it again," Buttler said.
Buttler went further, describing Sooryavanshi as unlike anything he had seen before. "It's something we've just never seen before… he's worrying how many records and things he keeps ticking off so quickly. So, yeah, we're going to need to keep him quiet as an England side in those T20S. No, he's a different level. Absolutely. And actually quite cool," he added.
The first T20I between India and England is scheduled for July 1 in Durham. Whether Sooryavanshi appears in that match remains to be seen, but Broad made clear he is hoping the teenager takes the field.
