‘I want him to improve his overall fitness’: VVS Laxman identifies key area for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s scintillating performances against Zimbabwe have earned him widespread praise, but India’s stand-in head coach VVS Laxman believes the teenage sensation still has an important area to develop if he is to fulfill his huge potential. The 15-year-old capped off a superb run with a brilliant 81 off 49 balls in the third T20I in Harare to lead India to a 35-run victory and a 3-0 clean sweep. His 151 runs in three matches made him the leading run-scorer of the series and earned him his first Player of the Series award. While Sooryavanshi’s fearless strokeplay has already made him one of India’s brightest young prospects, Laxman said improving his overall fitness will be key to the youngster’s long-term growth. “The only area we want him to improve on is his overall fitness,” Laxman said. The former India batsman also highlighted Sooryavanshi’s determination and desire to contribute to the team, pointing to an incident during the third T20I where the teenager wanted to continue despite sustaining an injury while attempting a catch at deep square leg. “He is a very young lad. He wants to improve himself in all aspects of the game. Even today when he got injured (while trying to take a catch at deep square leg), he still wanted to stay on the field. It was our physio who asked him to leave. That is the zeal and seriousness that he has to contribute to the team in any way possible,” he added. Laxman has closely followed Sooryavanshi’s development over the past year through his role as BCCI’s head of cricket. The youngster flourished under his guidance during India’s ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup winning campaign earlier this year, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with 439 runs and being named player of the tournament. The Zimbabwe series was another significant step in Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise. Having already impressed in two seasons with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, the left-arm pacer has once again showcased his skills on the international stage and underlined why he is regarded as one of the most exciting batting talents in the country. Despite the accolades, Laxman’s message was clear: improving his fitness will be an important part of Sooryavanshi’s journey as he looks to build on an already impressive start to his career.