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Former Team India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel spotted a deliberate attempt against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the 4th T20I match in Bristol between India and England.
In a sense of warning, Patel stated that from now on, Vaibhav will have to face a string of fiery bouncers from the opposing seamers.
Jofra Archer's bouncer caught Vaibhav Sooryavanshi off guard
In the previous match of the ongoing 5-match T20I series in England, Jofra Archer dismissed Vaibhav with a quick bouncer on the leg stump of the left-handed batter. Vaibhav tried to play a pull but edged the ball to the keeper, Jos Buttler, behind the stumps.
In the previous match, the England pacers, Josh Tongue and Archer steeped up with a proper game plan against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. A match ago in the series, when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his Team India debut, he slammed one of Archer's deliveries, which did not bounce much but was on the leg stump, for six over the leg side.
Parthiv Patel issued a stern warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
In the following match, Jofra Archer continued to deliver over 140kph and put the ball short of the length to catch the 15-year-old batter by surprise. Parthiv Patel predicted that the bowlers would follow the same pattern in Bristol.
"Not just Jofra Archer, I think anyone who watched the IPL would not be surprised that there is a deliberate plan to bowl short to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It wasn’t just the wicket ball; the ball before it was short as well. In the first game, on the delivery he hit for six, it may not have bounced as much, but the line was the same," Parthiv told Jio Hotstar.
"As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi progresses in his international career, he will continue to face this kind of bowling, with deliveries that are short and above 145 km/hr. So, the question will definitely be how he copes against short-pitched bowling, because every bowler will look to target him there," he added.
Parthiv Patel urges Indian batters to play sensibly
Ahead of the India vs England 4th T20I, the former Team India opener urged Indian batters to play with extra caution with proper game awareness. In the previous match, Team India bundled out for only 76 runs in response to England's 201.
While the team was under pressure, losing multiple wickets early in the chase, there was a lack of sense in the short selection. Parthiv Patel asked the batters to first set their eyes on the ball before thinking about rotating strike at a good rate.
"I would like to see a better understanding of the game and a bit more game awareness from the Indian batters in Bristol. Yes, there are 200 runs on the board, but these are all experienced T20 batters and, in this format, you have a bit more time than you think," he said.
"You can afford to take one or two overs to get your eye in. The conditions are different, the wickets aren’t as flat, and you have to get used to the ground dimensions and the pace of the wicket. So, it’s very important to give yourself some time", he continued.
