‘I will work with him’: Sunil Joshi reveals plans to develop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s bowling

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s stand-in bowling coach Sunil Joshi has urged everyone to focus hard on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s batting, praising the teenage sensation after his record-breaking knock in the T20I opener against Zimbabwe while revealing that the youngster’s bowling will gradually develop at the BCCIE Center of Excellence.Sooryavanshi lit up Harare Sports Club with a breathtaking 18-ball half-century to become the youngest player to score a T20I fifty. His blistering innings of four fours and four sixes turned India’s chase of 126 into a one-sided affair as the reigning T20 World Cup champions sealed a 40-ball victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Ahead of the second T20I, Joshi said the teenager’s explosive batting should remain the primary focus.“I think the first thing is that we focus on his batting. He has been sensational and I am happy that he has done well. This is a happy hunting ground for him. He did well here in the U19 World Cup final. He also did well yesterday,” Joshi told reporters.The former India spinner also revealed that Sooryavanshi’s bowling is part of a long-term plan.“Vaibhav has been very comfortable with his batting. Whenever we get time for his bowling, I will work with him in the CoE. Whenever we see him bowling well, we will definitely and quickly focus on that,” he said.

Joshi encourages young talent, urges patience with Suryansh Shedge

Joshi also called for patience with up-and-coming seam-bowler all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who has drawn comparisons with established stars like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.The stand-in bowling coach insisted that each player has his own path and warned against premature comparisons.“Look, we shouldn’t compare. Suryansh is making his place in the Indian team. Hardik has made his place. Shivam has also made his place. So he is a rising talent. We have to stick with him. He is working on good things and good areas. That is what we want in the T20 format,” he said.Joshi also highlighted the bowling depth available to the Indian team, pointing to top batsmen Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma who can also contribute with the ball.“I think all three are good bowlers and all-rounders, although Abhishek Sharma has improved a lot. The coaches always want him to improve every time. We also have Tilak Varma with us. He is another option bowler. We are talking to him about not giving too many runs, bowling more dots and focusing on the basics,” he further added.

Bishnoi’s run-of-the-mill tweak is paying off

Joshi also praised Ravi Bishnoi’s leg exerciser, revealing that a slight tweak to his run-up helped him bounce back from a tough outing against England earlier this month.Bishnoi endured a memorable spell of 0/60 in Manchester where England batsman Jacob Bethell smashed 29 runs in a single over. However, the leg-spinner responded impressively in Harare with figures of 1/24 from four overs.According to Joshi, the improvement came without any change in Bishnoi’s bowling action.“It is important to understand that a win was a must, it happened and I am very happy with the bowling performance. Bishnoi has not changed anything in his action,” he said.“He adjusted the run a bit. We also communicated with Sairaj Bahutul. We had a good chat with him. In the end we saw that he wasn’t even getting close to the gate, which, frankly, is very nice for him and for us,” he explained.