Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the Indian set-up came with an immediate reminder of what makes him such a difficult proposition, and one of the first batters to experience it was teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
With India preparing for the opening T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Bumrah put in an extended bowling session on Thursday and repeatedly tested the 15-year-old with pace, movement and his trademark changes of length. For Sooryavanshi, whose extraordinary rise has been built around fearless strokeplay, it became a demanding examination ahead of what could be another major step in his young career.
The contest carried an interesting subplot. Sooryavanshi had previously shown little fear while taking on Bumrah in the IPL, but facing India’s premier fast bowler in the nets was a considerably different challenge. Bumrah beat the youngster with a good-length delivery before hurrying him again from a similar area.
He then went fuller, firing in a yorker that Sooryavanshi only just managed to keep out. A back-of-a-length delivery subsequently found the outside edge, completing a sequence in which Bumrah repeatedly forced the left-hander into hurried decisions.
Sooryavanshi did eventually find a response when Bumrah overpitched, driving him crisply through the covers. But the larger pattern of the session showed just how severe the examination was for a batter who has so far made his reputation by putting bowlers under pressure.
Bumrah makes sharp return to India nets
Bumrah’s spell was significant beyond his duel with Sooryavanshi. Returning to the India set-up after being sidelined by a knee injury, the fast bowler operated with considerable intensity rather than simply easing himself back into action.
He bowled alongside Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy and others during the session, with Arshdeep also troubling Sooryavanshi through movement. Yash Thakur, meanwhile, managed to beat the youngster as well, despite Sooryavanshi having previously attacked him during the Duleep Trophy semifinal.
The teenager’s testing evening was not restricted to batting. He also missed multiple aerial chances during India’s fielding drills, making it an unusually difficult training session for a player whose rapid rise has generated enormous attention.
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Bumrah later turned his attention towards captain Shreyas Iyer and continued to look threatening, beating him for pace both on the inside and outside edge. It was another encouraging sign for India ahead of the three-match Afghanistan series, particularly after Bumrah completed his rehabilitation and was cleared to return.
For Sooryavanshi, meanwhile, the session offered something arguably more valuable than another dominant net outing. Having already demonstrated that he possesses the power and confidence to attack elite bowlers, the teenager was given a close look at the precision and relentless pressure that await at the highest level. And with Bumrah looking sharp again, India could hardly have provided him with a tougher lesson.
