Laxman hails Sooryavanshi's maturity after teen stars in Zimbabwe sweep
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July 27 : India's teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has shown remarkable maturity over the past six months, a quality that has enabled him to thrive in high-pressure matches after a rapid rise in cricket, coach VVS Laxman said on Sunday.
Sooryavanshi smashed an 18-ball half-century in the opening Twenty20 against Zimbabwe before scoring 81 on Sunday as India completed a 3-0 sweep of the hosts.
The 15-year-old, fast-tracked into international cricket following a breakthrough Indian Premier League season, was named Player of the Series after scoring two half-centuries in the three-match contest.
"Very mature. That's what I really appreciate about Vaibhav," Laxman told reporters.
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"With every experience and every match, he understands, assesses and gets better. He reviews every practice session, not just matches.
"His maturity, understanding and awareness over the last six months have skyrocketed. That's why he's been able to handle tough situations and perform under pressure against the best players."
Sooryavanshi's success in Zimbabwe came after a difficult start to his international career in England earlier this month.
The youngest player to represent India registered scores of 14, 13 and 15 in his first three T20 internationals before being left out of the fifth match.
Laxman, who has tracked Sooryavanshi's progress from age-group cricket through the IPL and into the senior national side, said the teenager's willingness to learn had been one of his greatest strengths, but managing his fitness remained an important area of development.
"The one area we want him to improve is his overall fitness," Laxman said.
"He's a very young boy. He himself wants to get better in every aspect of the game. Even today, when he got injured (while attempting a diving catch running in from deep square leg), he still wanted to stay on the field.
"It was our physio who asked him to come off. That's the eagerness and earnestness he has to contribute in every possible way to the team."
Laxman said he was not concerned by the left-hander's struggles in England and backed him to build on his strong start to international cricket.
"I'm sure he will progress and break all the records at the international level. He's got all the potential and ability to do that," he added.
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