Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has thrown his support behind teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, suggesting that the 15-year-old should be included in India’s Playing XI for the fifth T20I against West Indies. India, led by Shreyas Iyer, currently hold a 2-1 advantage in the five-match series and require just one more win to clinch it. While they began the series with a commanding eight-wicket victory, they were stunned by a six-wicket defeat in the high-scoring second T20I before responding strongly with a 14-run win in the third game.
Looking ahead to the fourth T20I, Nayar said India should focus on wrapping up the series as early as possible. Doing so would give the team management the freedom to hand Sooryavanshi an opportunity in the final match. The young opener has yet to feature in the series, with India continuing to back Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson at the top of the order.
“I would want India to go 3-1 up, and for the last game, Sooryavanshi plays. So keep it simple: Go 3-1 up, wrap the series up, and let Sooryavanshi play the last one,” said Nayar on Star Sports.
Abhishek repaid the faith in the third T20I, producing a match-winning knock of 69 after modest returns in the opening two games. The left-handed batter displayed his attacking prowess by striking six boundaries and five maximums.
Nayar also applauded Abhishek’s resilience and pointed to his contest with West Indies spinner Roston Chase as one of the key subplots of the series. Chase had dismissed the Indian opener in both of the first two matches, but Abhishek responded in style with a standout performance in the third encounter.
“Giving yourself time is also setting yourself up for how you are going to take them down. Every single ball you take, you are also figuring out the bowler’s plans. Once Abhishek played six balls, Roston Chase, as the bowler, started chasing him. Abhishek has a reputation, and Chase is also bowling to that reputation. So once you’ve played those six balls, he is going to start following you,” said Nayar.
“There is a battle within a battle. You’ve got someone out twice, but once Abhishek played those 5 to 6 deliveries, he’s starting to preempt what Abhishek is going to do next because you’ve shown him all your deliveries that you’re going to bowl as an off-spinner. That’s what makes Abhishek Sharma special. He can go from ball one, but if required, he can take his time and put you under pressure,” he added.
The fourth T20I between India and West Indies will be played on Wednesday in Hyderabad.
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