‘We want to see him under pressure’: New Zealand coach lays down challenge for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter would like to see how Indian teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can handle the challenge of pace and bounce when the two sides meet in the upcoming T20I series.Sooryavanshi has already made his mark with explosive performances in the 2025 and 2026 IPL as well as this year’s U-19 World Cup. These displays earned him his T20I debut against England in July.The teenager was part of India’s squad for the 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan and the narrow two-round win over Japan in Sano, but did not feature in the playing eleven.Walter said he would be particularly interested in watching Sooryavanshi bat on New Zealand’s bouncy, seam-friendly surfaces and also see how he reacts when under pressure.“Yes, I’d like to see him with some pace in the bouncy wickets and see how it looks differently. But he’s an exciting player. You’ve seen him dominate the best bowlers in the world in the IPL. I think the challenge is always to see how that translates into different conditions and also how we bowl with him in our conditions.”“Again, secretly as a coach, you always want to see your players under a little bit of pressure and how we react to that. So I’m looking forward to it if that’s the case. If he’s not here, they’ve got a lot of very good players other than him,” Walter told reporters on Wednesday.The New Zealand coach was also asked about the controversial wide call during the recent one-off T20I against Japan, which sparked considerable debate.Walter made it clear that he wasn’t following the match closely and had little interest in being drawn into the controversy.“A very short stretch (I watched). I could see there was some controversy around the wide decision. But no, I didn’t watch a hell of a lot to be fair. The less the better, I guess.”The upcoming series will also bring New Zealand back to their first collective T20I engagement since the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad where they suffered a heavy defeat against India.Walter acknowledged that losing the final will naturally leave a mark, but insisted the Black Caps’ motivation for the home series is not about revenge.“I suppose it’s there. Nobody likes losing a final. I’ve done it twice so I know all about it. But I think the first thing is to represent the Black Caps and New Zealand well. So you’ve got a group of players who are always trying to do that first. Of course if you can get a couple of wins at home that would be great.“But the most important thing is to take care of the small steps in between. To be excited to represent again – it’s been a while for some of the guys. It’s obviously the first time as a team since the World Cup that most of the team that was at the World Cup has run out together.”“So there’s always something about it. It’s not our main focal point, certainly not the things we talk about the most. Most importantly, we want to play good cricket and represent well,” he explained.