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A few months ago, not many people knew that an India A tri-series would take place after the IPL. With the senior men’s team having an extremely busy schedule, the focus rarely shifts away from the marquee series. This is especially true because India A matches are usually neither televised nor streamed live, meaning they receive limited attention. Broadcasters are well aware that India A fixtures do not generally generate significant interest.
This year, however, has been different.
As soon as the India A squad was announced with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s name in it, the broadcaster, Sony Sports Network, confirmed that India A’s matches would be televised live. Over the past few months, the wonderkid Sooryavanshi has become a phenomenon, a crowd-puller like no other. It would not be wrong to say that much of the attention surrounding this series can be attributed to his presence.
For the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, being in the spotlight is nothing new. In fact, he has been making headlines since his IPL debut last year. The media attention and growing popularity have not hindered his game. After scoring more than 700 runs in his first full IPL season, expectations were naturally high when he arrived in Sri Lanka for the tri-series.
So far, though, he has only shown glimpses of his immense talent. His scores in the tournament read: 14, 44 and 21. It is not that he has struggled to adapt to the tempo of 50-over cricket; rather, the conditions have exposed certain aspects of his game. Although all his innings have come in Dambulla, he has, for some reason, been unable to fully adjust to the conditions.
According to those closely following the series, this has been Sooryavanshi’s biggest test as a batter so far, as he has rarely encountered more challenging pitches in his young career. The conditions in Dambulla have offered assistance to both the seamers and spinners, which is one of the reasons why the tournament has produced relatively low-scoring matches.
Even in these difficult conditions, Sooryavanshi has not abandoned his natural instincts. He continues to take on the opposition from the outset, an approach that has not always worked on Sri Lanka’s bowling-friendly surfaces.
Let’s now look at another left-hander, Tilak Varma, who is also captaining the side. Over the past few seasons, much has been said and written about Tilak’s struggles against spin. One could argue that he has not been dismissed by a spinner in this series and has already registered two scores of fifty or more. Both points are valid.
At the same time, it is equally true that Tilak has once again shown signs of discomfort against spin. What supports this observation is his strike rate across the three matches. In none of his innings has he managed a strike rate above 95. During the middle overs, he often either consumes too many deliveries while defending or looks exclusively for boundary-scoring opportunities. For a batter hoping to cement his place in India’s ODI plans, the ability to keep the scoreboard moving against spin remains a challenge.
Tilak is highly regarded by both the selectors and the team management, which is why he was recently appointed vice-captain of the T20 side. Last year, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Tilak was “close” to an ODI recall and remained firmly in the plans for the 2027 World Cup.
However, if he continues to play spin in this manner, he could find himself slipping down the pecking order among the contenders.
Adding to the challenge is the burden of captaincy, which has weighed heavily on him throughout the series. With India having lost two of their three matches, the upcoming fixture against Afghanistan A has effectively become a must-win encounter.
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