Jasprit Bumrah vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: India Star Tests Teenager in Delhi Nets

Jasprit Bumrah made his return to India’s T20I setup after a lengthy injury layoff and immediately looked sharp during training in Delhi ahead of the Afghanistan series. The fast bowler spent an intense session testing India’s young batting prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the nets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Bumrah had been sidelined after a knee injury ruled him out of an ODI in England in July and the subsequent Test series in Sri Lanka. His return to training provided an encouraging sight for the Indian team, with the pacer bowling at full intensity for around 45 minutes.

The most closely watched contest of the session came when Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson faced India’s pace attack. It was the first time Bumrah had bowled to Sooryavanshi in an India training session. The two had previously faced each other in the IPL, where the teenager famously hit Bumrah for a six.

This time, however, the 17-year-old found the experienced pacer difficult to handle. Bumrah began with a yorker aimed at Sooryavanshi’s feet before producing a length delivery that moved away and beat the batter. He followed it with another yorker that Sooryavanshi managed to defend.

The defining moment came when Bumrah found the edge with another good-length delivery. The ball would have been comfortably taken by a wicketkeeper, prompting Bumrah to celebrate with an animated appeal.

Sooryavanshi did manage to strike one overpitched delivery from Bumrah, but the young batter otherwise struggled to find his rhythm against India’s premier fast bowler. Bumrah also tested Samson with yorkers and short deliveries aimed at the body.

The session lasted more than three hours, with India’s batters getting extensive practice against both pace and spin. Navdeep Saini also bowled with intensity and caused an injury scare for Ishan Kishan after a bouncer caught the batter high while he attempted to duck.

Bumrah’s return was ultimately the biggest takeaway from the session, giving head coach Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the squad a strong indication that the pacer is ready for the challenges ahead. India begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 13.