Alastair Cook Spots Rare Trait In Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Batting That Sets Him Apart
Alastair Cook praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's unique reaction time, distinguishing him from older players. Cook noted that Sooryavanshi waits for the right moment to respond to fast deliveries.
England veteran Alastair Cook hailed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 'unusual' reaction time and said it was what set him apart from his elder colleagues. Cook said that Sooryavanshi seemed content to wait to react to even the fastest balls, and that even the finest strikers in the sport have one or two "slots" where they are certain of hitting the bowler. Speaking with Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, David Lloyd, and Liam Livingstone on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Cook naturally brought up the topic of what made Sooryavanshi unique.
Alastair Cook Praises Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
"I think the one thing about it is – there doesn’t seem to be any premeditation," Cook, one of the most technically astute players in the world, said. “Most batsmen, even the best hitters, are literally waiting for that ball to be in their one slot for six. They might have two slots. But with him, you bowl five balls, and he’ll wait for a ball at 99 miles per hour, then react to it and still hit it for six. So cleanly. I think that’s what’s unusual."
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Michael Vaughan used his conversation with the young prodigy during the league season to highlight the off-field characteristic that sets Sooryavanshi apart in the same chat.
“I was in the pool last week in Mumbai. Rajasthan playing Mumbai – a must-win game to go through to the [playoffs]. Yashasvi Jaiswal comes and has a chat, and then the kid (Sooryavanshi) arrives and I start off: ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. Full admiration for the way you play. How do you prepare for the matches?’ He went: ‘Watching cartoons.’ I was like… alright. I said, ‘You training?’ He went, ‘No.’ I said, ‘What do you eat?’ He went, ‘Everything.’ I said – there’s the modern player. Watch a cartoon, eat what you want, smack it out the ground," he said.
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