T20 World Cup Groups Explained: Who Can Reach Super 8
Speaking to Sooryavanshi last night, his personal trainer and former Mumbai batsman Zubin Bharucha explains his swing: “Time and space are his biggest strengths.” Bharucha elaborates that hitting thousands of balls in practice has allowed Sooryavanshi to become as good as he is. “His head falls naturally into the ball a la Viv Richards, Tendulkar and Gavaskar. The bat always stays off the line of the ball. Space, otherwise defined as distance from the body, where the elbows work, like early Tendulkar or AB de Villiers, Richards and Gavaskar.”When commentators and pundits see Sooryavanshi bat, they are surprised by the amount of time he has. He seems to have that extra split second to play the ball. Bharucha explains: “The timing is a function created by a long, high backstroke like Lara’s. But that also means she needs to hit thousands of balls in practice because timing and rhythm can go wrong because things need to sync with the rest of the body. She often talks about losing that rhythm and feeling like she can’t hit the ball. That’s normal for batsmen with such a long swing.”But hitting 1000 balls in practice takes time and living without distractions. Surely there are more interesting things to occupy a 14-year-old, especially someone who already has millions of crowns in his bank account. Bharucha says, “He’s very hungry and doesn’t need any pushing.”The young man also likes to solve problems by treating networks as a sacred space. Bharucha explains: “He has the diligence to call me before every game and ask how he can adapt. The last night was no different, the plan continued to be positive. He knew England would bowl yorkers and bouncers to slow him down and he knew he had to use the space behind the wicket rather than just trying to pull every ball.”When you have someone that talented, there is a clamor in India to push him into big cricket quickly because people are suggesting he is too good for Under-19 level. Bharucha wants people to tread carefully and says there is some way to go before calling Sooryavanshi a finished product. “They have to eliminate mistakes and know where to score runs,” he warns.Examining weaknesses as a tough taskmaster, Bharucha explains: “He finds it difficult to cut the ball. When he was in Australia, he found it difficult to play off the back foot. The front foot play is still non-existent as his front foot lands outside the line of the ball. With that back stroke, the short ball can be a problem because of all the batsman has to do to get to the ball.”What about the comparison with Tendulkar? “Tendulkar, even at 14, had a fantastic defensive technique to go along with his attacking game. Sooryavanshi is still learning the defensive piece,” says Bharucha.