NEW DELHI: Before the England tour, Vihaan Malhotra was on the brink of losing his place in the Indian U19 team. The runs had dried up, he was not able to convert his starts. The 18-year-old from Patiala had sacrificed his designated opening role to his two superstar teammates -- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. Overall, the southpaw was not in a good space.
Right before the tour of England, while training at the Cricket Hub Academy in Patiala, Malhotra's coach Kamalpreet Sandhu, who has trained the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir, and Kanika Malhotra, gave him an ultimatum, that he needs to stop cribbing and start working on his new role.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"He has opened all his life. Batting at No. 3 was an adjustment for him. I just gave him the reality check that Vaibhav and Ayush had earned it, and what had he done? He should make that No. 3 spot his own," Kamalpreet told TimesofIndia.com.
Then a day before the big tour, VVS Laxman, the Head of Cricket at the Centre of Excellence (CoE), also shared a few valuable suggestions with the youngster. He ended up scoring 233 runs in five Youth ODIs and was instrumental in India's success in two Youth Tests, with 277 runs with the bat and three crucial wickets with his off-spin.
He shied away from disclosing what VVS Laxman told him but said the small input changed his game. He told TimesofIndia.com, "He just wanted me to enjoy my game. He never goes technical. He gives inputs, small ones, but it was perfect."
"It was an excellent and enthralling experience for me. It was the first time I went to England. I had heard a lot about English playing conditions. The seam movement, the weather, and it tests the technique of the subcontinent batters. There were nerves but I enjoyed the way I batted in England. I made a few technical adjustments and by the end of the tour, I became a better batter," he said.
His performances have been rewarded with the vice-captaincy for the Australia tour, where the India U-19 side will play three one-day games and two multi-day matches, starting September 21.
From battling the seam and swing, he is getting ready for the bouncy tracks of Australia.
"For the past one month, he has been training 12 hours a day. I am training him on a wet cement track, sometimes with plastic balls, sometimes with the tennis ball. There are a few bruises but he has improved significantly," said Sandhu.
Vihaan Malhotra with coach Kamalpreet Sandhu. (Pic credit: Special arrangement)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's impactFor this current India U-19 setup, Vihaan suggests they don't need to look elsewhere for inspiration. They are sharing a dressing room with superstars, who had lit up IPL 2025 with their power-packed batting. Among the opponents, there were two England prodigies -- Rocky Flintoff and Archie Vaughan -- sons of legendary England cricketers Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan, respectively.
"The focus on Vaibhav and Ayush kind of helped me as I went under the radar," said Malhotra with a laugh.
"They knew about Mhatre and Vaibhav. They wanted to get them out early. All the bowlers wanted to get the wicket of IPL players."
Barring his two centuries -- one in Youth Test, the other in Youth ODI -- and watching Shubman Gill's special at Edgbaston, the most enjoyable memory of the England tour was teasing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, when his fans came over to meet him in one of their matches.
"Vaibhav ke fans aaye hue the. Wo bol rahe the ki Vaibhav ko bulao, aur use sharm aa rahi thi. Hum use chidhate rehte the (Vaibhav's fans came to meet him. He was signing autographs but was really embarrassed and we also teased him a lot). He is the youngest of the lot, so we always kind of try and take care of him," said Malhotra.
"In the fourth one-day, I put on 209 runs for the second wicket with Vaibhav. We both scored centuries but he smoked 10 sixes and I had the best seat in the house. His bat swing is something we are in awe of," he added. Vihaan scored 129 off 121 balls, whereas Sooryavanshi had tonked 143 runs in 78 balls, studded with 13 fours and 10 sixes.
Malhotra does seek inspiration from Sooryavanshi and Mhatre but believes their presence has only enhanced his appetite.
"Cricketing field always teaches you new things. For example, in my case, I have two absolute superstars in my team. Competition is there, and in the future, people will compare us with them as well but it is good for us. When Vaibhav was hitting sixes for fun in the IPL, it pumped me to work hard," he said.
Malhotra doesn't have any lofty deals. For now, he is getting ready for the Australia tour, followed by the U-19 World Cup to be held next year in Namibia and Zimbabwe. But he has his eyes set on playing domestic cricket.
"I really want to break into the Punjab Ranji Trophy team. I want to do well for my state."
Malhotra wants to follow in his idol Shubman Gill's footsteps -- do well in the U-19 World Cup, score heaps of runs in domestic cricket and then, if all goes well, the obvious will happen.
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