
Remember Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Jasprit Bumrah duels in the Indian Premier League (IPL)? Playing for Rajasthan Royals, the 15-year-old would clobber India's premier pacer with disdain. The script wasn't the same on Friday as the duo trained for the first time in India colours.
Both Bumrah and Sooryavanshi are a part of the Indian squad to face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series, starting on September 13. Notably, when Sooryavanshi made his India debut in England in July, Bumrah wasn't a part of the T20I setup and joined for the ODIs.
Under the Kotla lights, the 31-year-old decided to keep the teen sensation on his toes. Coming after a brilliant Duleep Trophy campaign, where he helped his team East Zone lift the trophy after 13 years, Sooryavanshi wasn't ready for what what was incoming.
The first delivery from Bumrah was pitched on good length and as Sooryavanshi jabbed at it, the southpaw missed it completely. The next delivery at same length found the little one from Bihar's Samastipur hurried as it passed his bat before it came down.
The third one was a perfect yorker that Sooryavanshi just about managed to dig it out. The fourth one was bowled slightly back of length and all the youngster could manage was a healthy nick. Within four deliveries, Bumrah had given a short trailer of what Sooryavanshi might have to face at the highest level from countries with better pace attacks.
The only time the Baby Wonder passed the test against the best was when Bumrah slightly over pitched and Sooryavanshi dispatched it through the covers.
Not just Bumrah, the likes of Yash Thakur and Arshdeep Singh too had the upper hand against Sooryavanshi. Thakur, who had received some rough treatment in the Duleep Trophy semifinal, also beat him, and so did Arshdeep with some appreciable seam movement.
In fact, Sooryavanshi also struggled during field trainings. He missed at least aerial catches during fielding drills and played and missed against all the pacers. Is the body of a 15-year-old taking too much of a toll? Probably yes, considering the fact that Sooryavanshi was on the field for 13 days out 18 during the Duleep Trophy 2026, playing three matches.
Meanwhile, the whole Indian squad trained at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the first time for the Afghanistan series on Friday. Although India started their training a day before, the likes of Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma, and Ishan Kishan joined the camp on Friday after the Duleep Trophy assignments.
But if one man stole the show, it had to be Bumrah. He bowled a few deliveries to skipper Shreyas Iyer who was beaten for pace both on inside and outside edges. The pace was there, so was the swag and that smile of a man secured about his craft and sure about himself.
Jasprit Bumrah is back in the nets and there was happiness in every nook and corner of Kotla. The last time Bumrah played for India was against England, before being rule out midway into the series. Post that, the Indian pacer also missed the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.
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