Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the rest of the Indian U-19 team attended the second day of play in the Edgbaston Test
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi has 179 runs in three innings for India U-19 in England
- Suryavanshi made his debut for India U-19 last year
- Suryavanshi named his role model
The Ayush Mhatre-led Indian U-19 team starring Vaibhav Suryavanshi, which is also currently in England for a Youth series against the hosts, were in attendance at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Thursday (July 2) as the Indian team had a dream day on the field against England on the second day of play in the second Test.
Suryavanshi hailed Shubman Gill following his incredible knock of 269. With the Indian U-19 team in attendance, the Indian captain broke a series of records while helping the Asian giants post a huge total of 587 on the board as they aim to level the series.
“I am feeling very good. This is my first Test in England and I am seeing how the game is going. I am feeling very good. We all came to watch the match. We got a lot of inspiration. Shubman Gill is a role model for us. Everyone's dream is to play red-ball cricket for their country," said Suryavanshi in a chat with BCCI.TV.
The 14-year-old has impressed in the tour of England so far with 179 run in three innings at an average of 59.66 with at a strike-rate of 213.09.
Gill holds a special connection with U-19 cricket as he was the vice-captain of the team in 2018 when they won the 2018 U-19 World Cup under Prithvi Shaw's captaincy. The star batter won the Player of the Tournament award
The Indian junior team's head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, revealed that VVS Laxman was instrumental in the youngsters travelling to Birmingham to watch their seniors. Laxman, who is among the finest cricketers that India has ever produced, is the director of cricket operations at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“VVS Laxman was instrumental in arranging this. He was the one who actually said that it would be a good thing to go and watch this game. It's definitely a special occasion for any upcoming cricketer to be at a Test venue. The main thing I want to take back from what we have watched so far is that not every ball has to be hit for a four and six. You can still be extremely effective, score runs at a good rate, like Shubman has done. When we go back, there will be a session on what they learnt from it,” said Kantikar.
