NZ coach eager to see Sooryavanshi in India T20I series
What's the story
New Zealand's head coach Rob Walter is eager to see how India's young batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi copes with pace and bounce in the upcoming five-T20I series, starting October 22. The teenage batting sensation has already made a name for himself with explosive performances in IPL 2025 and 2026, as well as this year's U19 World Cup. His stellar displays earned him a T20I debut against England in July.
Performance review
Sooryavanshi's potential on bouncy pitches
Sooryavanshi was part of India's squad in the 3-0 T20I series win against Afghanistan and a close two-run win over Japan in Sano.
However, he didn't get a chance to play.
Walter is particularly keen on seeing how the young player performs on New Zealand's seam-friendly, bouncy pitches and under pressure.
"I'd love to see him on some pace in bouncy wickets and see how different that looks. But he's an exciting player. You've seen him dominate against the world's best bowlers in the IPL. I think the challenge is always to see how that translates to different conditions and also how do we bowl to him in our conditions," he told reporters.
Sooryavanshi
Player of the Series in Zimbabwe
Though Sooryavanshi failed to make a significant impact in his debut series in England, he unleashed his best in India's next T20I assignment - against Zimbabwe.
The opener finished the three-match affair with two half-centuries and was named Player of the Series.
He struck 50 off 19 balls in the opening match before making a career-best 81 off 49 deliveries in the third T20I.
In between, he scored 20. Despite this, he was benched for India's next four T20Is.
Controversy avoidance
Walter on India's controversial win over Japan
When asked about the controversial wide call in India's recent one-off T20I against Japan, Walter said he didn't follow the match closely and wasn't interested in getting involved in the controversy.
"A very short segment (I watched). I saw there was some controversy around the wide ruling. But no, I didn't watch a hell of a lot of it, to be fair," he said.
Team spirit
NZ's 1st T20I outing since WC final defeat
The upcoming series will mark New Zealand's first T20I outing as a team since their heavy defeat to India in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
Walter admitted that losing a final leaves its mark, but stressed that the Black Caps aren't motivated by revenge for this home series.
"No one likes to lose a final. I've done it twice, so I know all about it," he said.