Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the rest of the India U19 team, who are currently in the UK for the series against England U19, watched the second day of the 2nd Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The India colts were left ecstatic after the senior captain Shubman Gill put on a masterclass, hitting 269 runs off 387 balls with the help of 30 fours and 3 sixes to help the visitors post 587 runs on the board.
India U19 coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has now revealed that VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), made the trip possible. The coach said that it would give great exposure to the young team as they would learn about how to build an innings in a Test match.
The entire India U19 team was seen applauding and cheering when Shubman Gill brought up his double century to put the visitors in a commanding position in the Test.
“VVS Laxman was instrumental in arranging this. He was the one who actually said that it would be a good thing to go and watch this game. It's definitely a special occasion for any upcoming cricketer to be at a Test venue,” said Kanitkar in a video posted by BCCI.
Also Read: BCCI sends Vaibhav Suryavanshi to Edgbaston less than 24 hours after he puts on a show vs ENG U19
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: BCCI sends Vaibhav Suryavanshi to Edgbaston less than 24 hours after he puts on a show vs ENG U19
{{/usCountry}}“The main thing I want to take back from what we have watched so far is that not every ball has to be hit for a four and six. You can still be extremely effective, score runs at a good rate, like Shubman has done. When we go back, there will be a session on what they learnt from it,” he added.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's dream
The 14-year-old left-handed batter Suryavanshi is having the time of his life in the ongoing Youth series against England. In the three matches, he has so far aggregated 179 runs. He has hit scores of 48, 45 and 86.
Speaking about his visit to Edgbaston, Suryavanshi said that Gill is a role model for him and he really wishes to represent the team in the longest format of the game.
“I am feeling very good. This is my first Test in England and I am seeing how the game is going. I am feeling very good. We all came to watch the match,” said Suryavanshi.
“We got a lot of inspiration. Shubman Gill is a role model for us. Everyone's dream is to play red-ball cricket for their country,” he added.
Speaking of the ongoing Youth series between India U19 and England U19, the former are leading the series 2-1. The fourth match will be played on Saturday, July 5.