Ravichandran Ashwin shares his views on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s batting position and India’s middle order ahead of India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I.
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R Ashwin shares his views on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s batting position (Photo: BCCI/X)
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned India’s decision to send Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at No3 in the second T20I against New ZealandAshwin believes the unfamiliar batting position affected the teenager’s natural attacking game and suggested that Sanju Samson could move down the order if India want to include all three batters in the playing XI.
Sooryavanshi featured in the match in Christchurch after Ishan Kishan was ruled out due to injuryHowever, the young batter could manage only four runs off eight balls, struggling to find his rhythm during his short stay at the crease.
R Ashwin says no3 is not Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s natural position
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said it was too early to label Sooryavanshi’s performance a failureHowever, he felt the youngster looked uncomfortable while batting at No3.
“That is a missFor a young cricketer like Vaibhav, ‘miss’ is too early, I think, to say, but because I have only two options of a hit or a miss, he just found himself a little like a fish out of waterHe kept going hard, kept going hard for the eight balls,” Ashwin said.
The former spinner added that Sooryavanshi needed time to settle instead of feeling forced to attack every deliveryHe also felt the youngster could have benefited from guidance from an experienced batter at the other end.
“It did not feel like he was ever timing the ball, and that is when you need a senior partner to walk down to him and say, ‘Calm down, just hang in there, look to play close to your body, watch the ball better.’ Sometimes, as a batter, all you need to be told is to watch the ball closerYou do miss that in all the action that happens around youSo I just felt like he was a fish out of waterWalking in during the sixth over is not his cup of tea,” he explained.
Ashwin wants Sanju Samson to bat at no3
Ashwin pointed out that India had previously used Samson at No3 when the team played with the same combinationHe suggested that the wicketkeeper-batter could return to that role, allowing Sooryavanshi to bat in a position that suits his style.
“Look, I think they played this combination before, and Sanju had to skip down to number threeIf they are going to go with this combination, I am not too sure Vaibhav has got to bat at number three, but it is what it isToday it was a miss for Vaibhav,” he stated.
Ashwin praises India’s middle order
Despite Sooryavanshi’s struggles, India’s middle and lower-middle order gave the team plenty of encouragement during the chase of New Zealand’s 180-run totalTilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir made valuable contributions.
Ashwin praised the group’s power and ability to handle both pace and spin, particularly highlighting Naman’s confidence against experienced bowlers.
“India’s middle order is coming through nicelyThat is six, seven, and eightIt looks pretty dangerousAll of them can belt the ballNaman Dhir is a very good hitter of pace bowlingHe is showing that he can really club spinners as wellTo stand and hit a spinner of Mitchell Santner’s pedigree is no joke, and that tells you the ability of a batterHe looks unflappable when he is battingGreat temperament.
“Tilak Varma is echoing great temperamentI am not too sure about Nitish’s temperament yet, but there is enough power for teams to be concerned about when they come up against India’s lower middle order and middle orderIt is a big hit for me,” the former all-rounder stated.
