'Anything but brute force': Ashwin blown away by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 44-run blitz

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has lavished praise on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the youngster produced another eye-catching innings for India A in the ongoing one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka.

Sooryavanshi, who recently earned his maiden India call-up for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland, continued to impress in the 50-over format with a blistering knock against Afghanistan A. Opening the batting, the 15-year-old took charge from the very beginning and smashed 44 runs off just 22 deliveries, striking at an incredible rate of 200.



Having scored just 14 runs in the opening game of the tournament, Sooryavanshi looked far more settled in his second outing. While his explosive power has already become a hallmark of his batting, this innings showcased another side of his game. The youngster mixed aggression with control, finding gaps regularly and playing several elegant strokes along the ground rather than relying solely on big hits.

His 44-run knock featured nine boundaries and underlined why many believe he has the technique and temperament to succeed beyond the T20 format.

A half-century looked well within reach before Sooryavanshi's innings came to an end. Attempting to upper-cut a short delivery over the wicketkeeper, he found Mohamed Shiraz in the deep, who completed the catch to deny him a deserved fifty.

Despite the dismissal, Ashwin was highly impressed by what he saw from the teenager. Taking to X, the former India off-spinner highlighted the quality of Sooryavanshi's strokeplay and timing, suggesting the innings was about much more than just brute force.

"Out ! But 44(21) absolutely entertaining innings, punctuated with some well timed cover drives. We have seen his power, but today was anything but brute force. He is some player this kid." Ashwin wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, rain interruptions reduced the contest to 49 overs per side. India A posted an imposing 349 for 9, with Prabhsimran Singh leading the way with 84, while captain Tilak Varma and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad both contributed 66.

Afghanistan A's chase was also affected by weather. Their revised target was adjusted to 294 in 38 overs after further rain delays before the second innings. The visitors responded strongly, reaching 177 for 2 in 25.5 overs, with Imran Mir unbeaten on 75 and Bahir Shah unbeaten on 51.

When rain returned and halted play once again, Afghanistan A were three runs ahead of the DLS par score. With conditions preventing any further action, the match was called off and Afghanistan A were declared winners by the DLS method.





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