Coach reveals how RR's Vaibhav Suryavanshi became a six-hitting prodigy

Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi's childhood coach Manish Ojha details his pupil's grind, from relentless net sessions playing 500 balls to his ultra-attacking mindset and U19 World Cup heroics.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener, Rajasthan Royals batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi's childhood coach Manish Ojha spoke on his pupil's grind in the academy days, which made the 15-year-old the six-hitting prodigy he has become heading into the latest season of the competition. All eyes will be on the U19 World Cup winner Suryavanshi, who recently turned 15 and had taken the league by storm last season with a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans, which made him the youngest T20 centurion and the fastest Indian centurion in IPL history. His side will be taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the five-time champions at Guwahati on Monday.

A Passion for Attacking Cricket

Speaking on JioStar's 'TATA IPL: Dream On', Manish revealed that Vaibhav first paid a visit to his academy back in 2018 and liked to attack with his "beautiful timing". He also spoke on the left-hander's relentless net sessions, which saw him play 400-500 balls. "In 2018, he came to the academy with his father for the first time. From the start, it was clear he had potential and a real passion for cricket. He always liked to attack while batting and had beautiful timing. In every session, he would play 400-500 balls and wouldn't stop unless I gave him a break," said Manish.

Ultra-Attacking Mindset

Manish said that in 2022, during the open net sessions, he was given a 40-over slot to bat, with 20 overs bowled each by new-ball bowlers and spinners, and he would play mostly big lofted shots. While he would advice Suryavanshi to take things slow and not abandon singles and doubles, the explosive left-hander would continue batting with his own ultra-attacking mindset. "In 2022, during the open net sessions, he was given a 40-over slot to bat, 20 overs from new-ball bowlers and then spinners. I noticed he preferred to play only big, lofted shots. I told him that as he progresses to U-16 and U-19 cricket for his state, he will have to face hundreds of deliveries and play long, because it starts with four-day cricket there. If you go for a big shot on every ball and ignore singles or doubles, you increase your chances of getting out. But he would say, 'Sir, if I can hit a six on that ball, why take a single?," he said.

Impressing at IPL Trials

Speaking on Suryavanshi's IPL trials, Manish said that he was given different targets to be completed in a particular number of balls, and he achieved them. "For example, in the first over, he was given a target of scoring 18 runs, and he reached it in three balls. After that, he was told that he was playing more shots square of the wicket and was asked to play more on the off-side, and he responded by hitting big shots there as well. In another trial, he was given a target of scoring 24 runs in one over, which he achieved in five balls," he added.

U19 World Cup Glory

Manish also spoke on Vaibhav's ICC U19 World Cup performances, saying that throughout the tournament, he could not convert his half-centuries into something big and he adviced his pupil to do the same. The 15-year-old repaid his coach's faith by smashing a 80-ball 175 against England in the final, including 15 fours and 15 sixes and ending the tournament as the leading run-getter with 439 runs in seven innings, including a century and three fifties. He hit a whopping 30 sixes throughout the campaign. "During the Under-19 World Cup, he was getting out in the 50s and 70s multiple times. He was giving India good starts, but personally, he was not able to finish well. So, I texted him saying everything was going well and that he was playing well, but he just needed to convert those starts into big scores. He was setting himself up for those, but was getting out. I told him that this was the first tournament of his life in which he had not scored a century, and he finally did it in the final, in a big game, when his team needed it the most," he concluded. (ANI)

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