New Zealand had a ‘good scouting session on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’, pacer reveals

New Zealand's bowling coach, Jacob Duffy, anticipates that the conditions in New Zealand will pose a challenge to India's young cricket sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sooryavanshi, who is just 15 years old, has been making waves in world cricket with his explosive batting. The teenage opener recently broke records in the Indian Premier League and became India's youngest international player in T20 cricket when he made his debut for India in an England series in July.

Sooryavanshi broke another record by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in men's international cricket when he scored an 18-ball fifty against Zimbabwe. New Zealand has been closely studying Sooryavanshi ahead of the five-match T20 series that begins at Christchurch's Hagley Oval. The coach believes that the left-hander's power-hitting and consistency, with strike rates consistently above 250 in each game, will make the young star a tough opponent.

Duffy mentioned that Sooryavanshi played in England, which means the Indian team will face different conditions in New Zealand, but he expects the wicket at Hagley Oval to be more challenging than some pitches in the subcontinent. The Otago bowler, born in Lumsden, a small town near Christchurch, has had a successful year, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal as New Zealand's top player in 2025 and representing New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup in India.

He also won the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Despite missing the mid-year tour of England and the test match against Ireland to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, Sooryavanshi is eager to face India with the red ball ahead of a four-test tour of Australia.