Allies turned rivals: India head coach Gambhir and his Sri Lanka counterpart Kirsten go a long way back.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Two series, six matches. Two half-centuries, one Player of the Match award, one Player of the Series honour. That’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international CV thus far after an exhilarating, whirlwind July when he took his first, firm steps towards moving from boy wonder to a man for all seasons.

The 15-year-old’s inclusion in the Indian T20I squads for the twin tours of Ireland and England was welcomed with more than a frisson of excitement and expectation. There ought to have been not a semblance of discussion on whether he should feature in the squad if not for his tender age, because especially in IPL 2026, he had showcased his exceptional talent with one bruising masterpiece after another. A season-high tally of 776 runs and the Orange Cap in his first full season should have, as it thankfully eventually did, been an automatic rite of passage to the national side. If there were any misgivings at all, it was because he was 15, not 18 or 19.

Sooryavanshi had battered the best bowlers in the world in the IPL, smashing them to smithereens and often instilling dread and fear as they ran in to deliver the little white orb because even the Cummins’ and the Hazlewoods, the Bumrahs and the Rabadas, knew that the margin for error was miniscule. His consistency reiterated that he was more than just a one-trick pony. He blazed to 15-ball half-centuries for fun, the sixes flowed as if there was an invisible, illegal spring in his bat (something Sanath Jayasuriya was hilariously accused of after his pyrotechnics in the 1996 World Cup) and for the first time in many years (since maybe 1988?), India was transfixed by the breathtaking audacity of a teen phenom.

Not just India, of course. Such is the reach, magnetic pull and popularity of the world’s most celebrated 20-over league that global audiences were treated to the Sooryavanshi magic. To see David take down Goliath is one of the time-tested endearing subtexts to any sporting contest. Tens of thousands willed the young lad to succeed not just for the novelty value but the sheer entertainment he provided, the joy he brought with uninhibited freedom which is often professed in the dressing room but hard to put into practice ball after ball, innings after innings.

Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir, the new leadership group of the T20I setup, chose to make the restless teenager wait for his baptism. Contrary to expectations that he would be blooded against the Irish in a series India were expected to dominate, Sooryavanshi watched from the sidelines as his colleagues crashed and burned to an unprecedented, seismic 0-2 defeat, their first losses to the Irish in international cricket. He was eventually handed his India cap for the second of five T20Is against Harry Brook’s England, in Manchester on July 4. His maiden outing fetched only 14 runs (off 10 balls), but there were two sixes thrown in, including one off Rajasthan Royals teammate Jofra Archer, a brief first appearance that suggested that he wasn’t out of place in the bustling cauldron of country vs country battle.

Sooryavanshi’s next two outings in England weren’t productive either – 13 off 5 balls in Nottingham, and 15 off 10 in Bristol — after which he was benched for the final game at Rose Bowl in Southampton. He must have watched with mounting frustration as, on an absolute belter, the hosts racked up 257 for three and India replied with a competitive but eventually woefully inadequate 201 for eight. There is no gainsaying how Sooryavanshi would have acquitted himself; whispers were starting to surface that the short ball into the body was a kryptonite of sorts, but there is little sustained evidence to support that theory. England brought the young lad 42 runs off 25 deliveries with one four and five sixes, hardly sensational but definitely not enough to write him off.

In Zimbabwe in the week gone by, however, the international game was privileged to witness the phenomenon reprise his IPL magic. Sooryavanshi has quite a tryst with the Harare Sports Club, where Shreyas’ bunch locked horns with the host nation in a three-match showdown. India had gone through seven winless games in Ireland and England, losing six with one game (the opening fixture against England) abandoned halfway through, and Shreyas desperately needed a victory against his name after a horror start to his T20I captaincy stint.

Happy hunting ground

He needn’t have worried too much, as it turned out. After all, he had the ace in his pack, a young man who dug into his memory bank, dredged up happy thoughts of his time at the Harare Sports Club, and brutalised a solid Zimbabwe pace attack spearheaded by the towering Blessing Muzarabani and the left-armer, Richard Ngarava.

Muzarabani, more than his left-handed counterpart, had played a big part in Zimbabwe making it to the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup earlier this year at the expense of fancied former champions Australia. Standing six feet eight inches (203 cms) in his socks, he used his height to great advantage, fusing bounce with movement to resemble a one-man wrecking ball. Muzarabani finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament; his 13 scalps (only one behind Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy) came in only six bowls, his strike rate of 11 balls per wicket bettered among the top-five wicket-takers only by Shadley van Schalkwyk (6.84) of the United States, who also ended up with 13 wickets. He was expected to give India’s batters, who had a miserable run in England, a torrid time, but Sooryavanshi had other plans.

In February, at the same venue, Sooryavanshi had made the Under-19 World Cup final against England a ridiculously one-sided affair well before the halfway stage of the contest. After Ayush Mhatre chose to bat, the left-handed opener went on the rampage, tearing into the shell-shocked English boys with utter disdain.

Boundaries cascaded off his bat with remarkable regularity; he reached his 50 off 32 deliveries, took only 23 more to bring up his century, and went from 100 to 150 in a mere 16 balls. By the time he was dismissed, gloving a slog-sweep to the wicketkeeper, he had hurtled to 175, from just 80 deliveries, with 15 power-packed fours and an equal number of towering sixes. He had accounted for 69.72% of the runs India had scored (251) till he was at the crease. Sooryavanshi’s blitzkrieg ended off the third delivery of the 26th over, just past the halfway stage of the Indian innings. Who knows what he would have finished with had he batted for even a half-hour more.

In Sooryavanshi’s corner on that occasion was Hrishikesh Kanitkar as the head coach, with former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi too travelling as the bowling/spin coach. And, of course, there was V.V.S. Laxman , the wonderfully affable and positive-talking Hyderabadi who has quietly elevated the profile of the Centre of Excellence (previously the National Cricket Academy) without getting either his due or craving for approbation and plaudits, who travelled for the second half of the Under-19 World Cup as the team’s mentor, among other things.

While Kanitkar wasn’t in Harare this last week, both Laxman and Joshi were. With Gambhir and his support staff taking a break ahead of the Test tour of Sri Lanka beginning in a little over a week’s time, Laxman stepped in as the interim head coach, like he has done quite a few times in the past, with Joshi for support. Perhaps, the familiarity with the ground, previous dizzying success at the venue and a sense of ease around the coaching staff that has overseen his progress over the last year and a bit helped calm Sooryavanshi down. He was clearly in his elements, reprising the destructive avatar that made him such a compelling attraction during the IPL.

India’s youngest international cricketer, male or female, became the youngest half-centurion in all T20Is when he lashed an even 50 in the first encounter on Thursday, July 23. The half-century came off only 18 deliveries, though he saw off the Muzarabani threat with commonsense rather than bravado. India were chasing a modest target of 126 and Sooryavanshi’s early blitz powered them to a commanding victory with 40 deliveries to spare, though the Player-of-the-Match award went to pacer Mayank Yadav for his spell of two for 18. After a whirlwind nine-ball 20 in Saturday’s game two, Sooryavanshi went into overdrive in the final, dead rubber on Sunday. In the clearest indication yet that he has a terrific cricket brain nestled in that young, still developing head, Sooryavanshi batted with tremendous maturity and intelligence on a worn surface where the bounce was uneven and where the ball didn’t exactly gush on to the bat.

No half-measures

Sooryavanshi picked the balls to attack with care and diligence, but when he went on the offensive, he didn’t hold back. There were no half-measures, his commitment to the stroke indisputably maximal. Abhishek Sharma fell cheaply again and the normally fluent Ishan Kishan struggled for timing, but Sooryavanshi seemed immune to the vagaries of the pitch.

His fifty appeared measured, yet it came off just 31 deliveries; as he raced into the 80s, visions of a maiden century loomed until he fell to a wonderful catch in the deep by Brad Evans. His final returns – 81 off 49, eight fours, four sixes. As India completed a comfortable 35-run victory to seal a 3-0 series sweep, there was only one candidate for both the match and the series honours. Welcome to the world of international cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. And what’s the fuss all about, right? Laxman’s personality doesn’t lend itself to hyperbole, so when he says something, you know that that’s precisely what he means. He was glowing in his praise of the young lad, extolling his maturity and cricket smarts not just during the last week but over the last six months, from the Under-19 World Cup onwards.

“He’s got a long career ahead, and he has the attitude and mindset to improve every day,” the magician with wrists of steel proclaimed. “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.”

Over to you now, young man, to prove the great man right.

Since the start of the IPL, runs have been flowing from B. Sai Sudharsan’s bat. The Gujarat Titans opener had a great season, finishing as the third-highest run-getter (722 runs). He then seamlessly switched into the longer format, scoring 81 in the Test against Afghanistan before following it up with twin centuries for India-A in the two four-day games in Sri Lanka.

In this chat with The Hindu, the 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batter opens up about his “best IPL season” as well as his experience playing Test cricket over the last year. Excerpts:

How do you see this purple patch?

I am feeling really grateful for whatever I have done in the IPL. The way it started, the way it unfolded, the way it ended — it was very interesting.

I have always had good starts in every IPL. So this one was even more interesting because I didn’t score much in the first four to five games. Mentally, I won’t say it was challenging but more interesting, as belief, trust, and everything increased day by day rather than becoming doubtful. It was a very good IPL, and it was my best year.

Does it make it more special that you recovered from a tough start?

Yes, for sure, because when you are scoring, it is easy. When you keep playing, it is easier to believe and to be in a confident frame of mind. But when you don’t score, it’s even more important to feel the same way.

So, in that way, it was very interesting, and I learnt a lot in this IPL. When it is not converted into evidence, are you still trusting the process and your abilities? Mentally, when you enter the game, are you still thinking about not scoring in the previous match, or are you entering in an expressive frame of mind to make an impact for the team? So I think, in those ways, I learnt a lot — to not take the past into the game.

Was there a specific game that unlocked something for you?

Yes. I got a hundred against RCB. That was the game which actually changed quite a lot of things. We lost that match, yes, but that game gave us momentum. From there, the team also did well. The team faced a challenge: we were still doing well, but something was not going right. Then we won in Chennai, and from there, everybody’s game started going the way we wanted.

You came into the IPL after an injury lay-off due to a rib fracture. How difficult was the recovery?

Definitely, it was not easy because breathing was difficult. But sometimes, when you get a break, you have time to think about the game. You have time to really introspect about what you want to do. So I saw it as a blessing in disguise. At that time, I wanted to use it wisely and productively, so that I would still bat a lot mentally. I couldn’t do it physically, of course, but mentally I batted a lot and didn’t feel that I was away from the sport.

What did you specifically work on during those three to four months?

It’s more about the feel. The feeling of batting. All the small things I wanted to improve, all the small additions I wanted to make — I just did them in my head. I tried to visualise it more and sustain that feeling.

There’s a lot of talk around strike-rates. However, you and your opening partner, Shubman Gill, took a different approach, trying to bat long. How do you see it in the bigger picture when the demands of T20 cricket keep changing? Do you feel tempted to play at a higher tempo?

We’re not looking at it as ‘We have to play at this strike-rate to win’. We’re looking at it from a broader perspective — what is required for the game, rather than individual statistical points. We’re not looking at it as a stats-oriented approach. Yes, stats are very important for improving and getting better. But we’re not looking to predetermine how we’ll play. If we’re chasing 240, we have to play at a 200 strike-rate anyway. It’s situational, rather than saying we can only do well if we play at a particular strike-rate. As a team, as you rightly said, we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

At the same time, don’t you feel it could affect your personal career?

It’s actually a great question because it’s actually a challenge as well. But I feel winning is the ultimate recipe, or the ultimate key, to whatever you want to do. You don’t have to think personally. For a team, winning is the ultimate recipe. If you make your team win, you will eventually get the call-up and recognition. Everything else is secondary. It is a by-product. The ultimate goal is to have the team’s intent to win. The way I’m looking at it is: Am I giving myself the best possible chance to contribute? I feel that if we put a constraint like that in place, we are holding ourselves back.

You have now scored more than 700 runs for the second consecutive season. How do you ensure you keep improving to stay ahead in a format that keeps changing?

Even during the tournament, the game is evolving. This year, there were two spectrums of games. Either they were very low-scoring or very high-scoring. At the start of the tournament, there were three or four situations in which it was still possible to hit the ball correctly. I learnt certain things from that. I got out to balls that weren’t really wicket-taking deliveries. They were short, into the body, down the side of the leg. So I felt there was still space for the right movements to happen, and then you score runs. I worked more on that. Similarly, there were many examples from last year and this year. At certain times, I wasn’t finishing games, so I wanted to finish games. I feel I’m aware of those things. I keep building on them so the batting works automatically.

How do you handle not being in India’s T20 plans despite two very good IPL seasons?

There is nothing to handle. No disappointment, no expectation. We have a job in our hands. As simple as that. I know it may sound contradictory to many people. Yes, everybody wants to play for the country, and I want it even more. But what’s important is understanding what is within our control and what we should be hungry for. In the IPL, the important job is to put the team where we want it to be and win the tournament.

That’s the biggest priority. Selection comes as a by-product. There are still many things I can improve. I can work on those, come back to the IPL, and make an even bigger impact. Those are the things I have in my control, and I will back myself to do that every year.

Your assessment of your first year as a Test cricketer?

It is interesting. Even a small weakness or flaw will be challenged. As a batter, you have to keep improving and evolving from all those small things. It changes every single day and every single session. To be versatile enough to understand that and be smart is very important. But the satisfaction you get from scoring runs in Tests is unparalleled. You toil for five days. The hard work on the fourth or fifth day, when you get those runs or that win, is just very satisfying.

What have been the biggest learnings from the first year?

We have to keep evolving as batters, and there isn’t much time to do so. You have to be smart enough to pick things up and evolve. I feel it is all about owning that place. I could have owned it a bit more. I could have been a bit freer. The more ownership I take, and the more courage I have to go out there and express myself, the more I feel I’ll be able to bring out the best version of myself. That’s probably the biggest learning for me.

A little bit of that happened during the Afghanistan series. It helped me express myself more rather than trying to be right.

But hats off to my team: because of the support staff, the communication, and the way they supported and backed me — I was very happy with that.

Even in the Kolkata Test (vs. South Africa), which I didn’t play, I was very comfortable because the communication was very clear. We were looking at an extra spinner to give us the best chance. The communication was very clear, and as a player, you need that freedom.

During the West Indies series, GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir was very communicative. He backed me really well. In the Delhi Test (vs. West Indies), I was actually happy because I understood my batting better. I needed that clarity at that time, so it was very helpful to me.

I feel my batting has also become a little more fine-tuned. Decision-making, footwork, and movement in the crease—these experiences have helped me further fine-tune my game.

After the South Africa tour, I had quite a lot of time to prepare, understand those things and fine-tune them.

You have been dismissed twice in the 80s. Do you regret not converting those starts?

I’d agree that it was a little disappointing not to convert them. But at the same time, I was really happy with the level of control I had and the intensity of my play. The feeling while batting was really good, and the control was good. So I’m looking forward to building on that. The big score will come when it’s supposed to come.

There has been some criticism surrounding your First Class average. Are you aware of that, and how do you handle it?

Honestly, I’m not even aware of my own statistics. I don’t know how many matches I’ve played, how many hundreds I’ve scored or what my average is. Even in the IPL, I don’t know how many games I’ve played or how many runs I’ve scored. The reason is simple — I don’t want to judge myself based on statistics. I believe more in the experience than the numbers.

One game might be on a raging turner. Another game could be on a seaming wicket. Every match presents a different challenge. So it’s very difficult for me to look at my average and tell myself, ‘I’m batting well because my average is good’ or, ‘I’m batting badly because my average isn’t good enough’. For me, it’s about being fully present in that particular situation and doing the best I possibly can.

How was your experience of playing those two four-day games in Sri Lanka?

It was a really valuable experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions. There was more breeze, a little more bounce and a little more turn than what we’re generally used to. Even the bowling culture there is different.

The bowlers are extremely consistent and disciplined rather than relying on something extraordinary. As a batter, getting more game time in Test cricket is always the best opportunity to learn.

Luckily, we played at Galle, so we got an opportunity to understand how the wickets behaved and how they generally prepared the surfaces. Overall, it was a really good experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions.

Can you elaborate on the impact of the breeze?

The strong breeze changes everything. Because of the wind, the ball’s line changes quite a lot. Experiencing that was really valuable. It’s actually very similar to England. In England, the fast bowlers get late movement. Here, because of the breeze, the spinners get late drift. So you can’t commit too early, and you can’t judge the length too early. You have to keep judging the ball as late as possible because it keeps changing its line.

What’s the next month looking like for you?

The next month will be a proper off-season with some long practice sessions. Overall, it’s a great window to work hard and build towards the coming season. There are two main areas. The first is from a physical perspective. I want to become stronger, leaner, and fitter, especially in my movement and recovery, so that I can recover better and faster.

The second is my batting. I want to continue fine-tuning my game against spin. We have a series against Sri Lanka, where the conditions are quite similar, and then a couple of Tests in New Zealand, which will obviously present a different challenge. So my focus is on improving my batting against spin, better understanding my footwork, and continuing to develop my game.

Giving due credit: Brook was vocal about McCullum’s contribution as a Test coach.
| Photo Credit: AP

Influential: Banton was all praise for Stokes’ impact on the game and the England team.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Sooryavanshi launched into the Sri Lankan-A attack.
| Photo Credit: BCCI

In-form Ishan Kishan’s minute-a-mile half-century helped him lock his place in the top order as India completed a 30-run victory over South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.

Ishan went hammer and tongs to smash seven sixes and two fours as his 20-ball 53 underlined another dominant show from Indian batters, who piled up a massive 241 for five on a placid wicket here at the DY Patil Stadium.

The T20 World Cup defending champions then used as many as nine bowling options including three overs from Abhishek Sharma (2/32), restricting South Africa for 210/7.

However, frontline pacer Harshit Rana (0/16) left the field after sending down his only over of the night, in which he pulled out of his run-up twice and eventually did not return to the action.

South Africa experimented by sending George Linde (0) to open with Aiden Markram (38 retired out), which did not yield any result with the former being dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first over from Arshdeep Singh (1/29).

Ryan Rickelton hit a 21-ball 44 with three sixes and four boundaries while Jason Smith struck 35 off 23 balls with four fours and a six. While Dewald Brevis (2) fell cheaply, Tristan Stubbs smacked four sixes to make a 21-ball 45 not out.

India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, took no part in the match.

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Earlier in the first half, Ishan showed his array of strokes including some powerful flicks on the on-side that went sailing over the ropes to make the only half-century of the game.

Ishan, who struck 103 in the final T20 against New Zealand last week, came out firing on all cylinders to put on an 80-run stand with Abhishek (24 off 17 balls, retired out) inside the powerplay.

With Sanju Samson struggling for runs, Ishan is expected to open the batting alongside Abhishek in the tournament opener against USA at Wankhede on February 7.

Ishan walked away immediately after bringing up his fifty, as India maximised their opportunity to have one final hit before the USA game.

Playing on a familiar turf, wicketkeeper-batter set the tone with a fiery knock. As many as 29 came in the fifth over of the game when Ishan tore into Anrich Nortje, smacking four sixes and a four.

On one occasion, he even tried to move away from a bouncer but Nortje’s delivery hit the blade and sailed over the fine leg fielder for a six.

However, if Ishan was in his top form, Abhishek certainly did not appear in his usual elements but still managed three fours and a six during his stay.

Tilak Varma, who had proved his fitness and preparedness for the ICC event after an injury lay-off in the previous outing for India A here two nights ago, was cleaned up by Marco Jansen after he had raced to 45 off only 19 balls with three sixes and as many fours.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav (30 off 16 balls; 2 fours, 2 sixes) also looked to maximise his time in the middle even though his trademark leg-side flicks did not always come out well. Suryakumar also enjoyed a lifeline when he was dropped on 18.

Vice-captain Axar hit a few lusty blows for a 23-ball 35 but it was Hardik Pandya who provided late fireworks, clobbering three sixes and two fours to make 30 off 10 balls before falling to Corbin Bosch.

Rinku Singh, who was hit on the helmet off a Bosch delivery, made 16.

Brief scores: India 240/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 53, Tilak Varma 45; Marco Jansen 1/18) beat South Africa 210/7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 44, Tristan Stubbs 45 not out; Abhishek Sharma 2/32) by 30 runs.

Ishan Kishan’s thrill-a-second maiden T20I hundred compensated for Sanju Samson’s familiar failure, and the knock in conjunction with Arshdeep Singh’s fifer scripted India’s 46-run romp over New Zealand in the fifth and final match here on Saturday.

India thus sealed the series 4-1, and wrapped up their preparations to defend the T20 World Cup title on a highly satisfactory note.

Once India made a humongous 271 for five, riding on Kishan’s (103, 43 balls, 6×4, 10×6) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s (63, 30b, 4×4, 6×6), only the margin of victory was needed to be known.

The Kiwis fought gamely in pockets, but eventually finished with 225 all out. For India, pacer Arshdeep regrouped from his early travails to take a delightful five-wicket haul (5/51).

He had conceded 40 runs in his first two overs for the wicket of Tim Seifert, but then took four wickets in the next three overs for a mere 11 runs.

Fin Allen (80, 38b) played a powerful innings upfront but the target was always outside the Kiwis’ grasp.

Allen, the top-scorer in the recently concluded Big Bash League, carried that form to the Greenfield Stadium.

The right-hander put pacer Arshdeep through the shredder, collecting two fours and a six in the opening over of the Kiwis’ innings.

Soon, Allen clubbed the Indian pacer for 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 in his second over to make 23 runs in total.

Allen, who reached his sixth T20I fifty in 22 balls, fell to returning left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3/33), ending a second wicket alliance of 100 runs with Rachin Ravindra (30, 17b).

In fact, both the spinners — Axar and Varun Chakravarthy (1/36) — did a commendable job in reining in New Zealand after the Power Play.

There was no real life in New Zealand’s chase once Allen went back with wickets falling at regular intervals.

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Samson Fails Again

But none entertained a full weekend house more than Kishan on a sultry evening, who came in after the early departures of Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

Opener Samson (6), whose fifth successive failure in this series now casts a huge shadow over his T20 World Cup prospects could not get going, falling to pacer Lockie Ferguson.

If he needed a more ominous sign then Kishan later kept the wickets too, giving a hint to the Indian team management’s thinking ahead of ICC showpiece, starting in a week’s time.

Abhishek (30 off 16 balls) gave a solid start but extra pace from Ferguson did him in as India went through a relatively tepid power play phase — 54 for two.

Ishan Kishan
Photo Credit: PTI

But those were the only moments of joy for New Zealand during India’s innings after the hosts elected to bat.

For the rest of the innings, they were treated with utter disdain by Kishan and Suryakumar during their 137-run third wicket stand which came in just over 10 overs.

Kishan, who missed the fourth T20I with an unspecified injury, showed no trace of rust, putting the New Zealand bowlers through the wringer with his fast hands and nimble feet.

The left-hander started his carnage, smashing Ferguson for a four and six over extra over and the runs never really stopped thereafter.

Kishan brought his 50 in 28 balls with a four off Ish Sodhi and Suryakumar, who also completed 3000 runs in T20Is, went past the mark in two fewer balls with a six off Jacob Duffy.

Kishan, who completed 1000 T20I runs, was severe on Sodhi, creaming the leg-spinner for 29 runs in the 12th over and the sequence of his big-hits read — 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6.

Suryakumar departed in between, getting stumped by Tim Seifert while giving a charge to his opposite number and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.

But that did not deter Kishan.

The Jharkhand man soon reached the cherished three-figure mark in 42 balls — a six off Santner took him to 97 and the subsequent one carried him past the landmark, which he celebrated with gusto before melting into Hardik Pandya’s bear hug.

Kishan’s second fifty came off just 14 balls.

From a team perspective, India made 189 off the last 11 overs at an economy of 17.18 runs per over.

The Kishan show finally ended when he was taken at square leg by Glenn Phillips off Duffy, and walked back to the hut accompanied by cheers and whistles.

Pandya’s strong hits (42 off 17 balls) towards the end ensured that India went past the 250-run mark for the fourth time in their T20I history.

Shivam Dube flickered brightly with a fifty of exceptional quality but it was insufficient to prevent India’s 50-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I here on Wednesday.

The clean-hitting Dube 65 (23 balls, 3×4, 7×6) batted all but his own in India’s steep chase of 216, but the hosts eventually finished at 165 all out as the Kiwis reduced the margin to 3-1 in the five-match series.

With Ishan Kishan sitting out with an unspecified injury, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were expected to lead the chase.

But Abhishek fell in the first ball of India’s innings, skying Matt Henry to Devon Conway at deep point.

Suryakumar’s meek push was converted into a brilliant return catch by Jacob Duffy as India slumped to 9 for 2.

Rinku Singh (39) and Sanju Samson (24) tried to keep India afloat but they struggled to force the pace either in the Power Play or after that.

Rinku fell leg before to Zak Foulkes and Samson, who hit a delicious flicked six off Duffy, was foxed by Mitchell Santner’s straight delivery to get castled.

Hardik Pandya too returned without any significant contribution as India further slipped to 82 for five in the 11th over, leaving Dube and Harshit Rana (9) to save the day.

Dube batted fearlessly, and hardly displayed the pressure of an ever-climbing asking rate that hovered around 14 almost all the while.

Dube, who was saved by DRS from a leg-before decision on 46, raised the hopes in the Indian camp, biffing 29 runs off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi’s third over that included a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6.

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The left-hander brought up his fifty in just 15 balls with a six over square leg off Duffy. The sixth wicket of Dube and Harshit Rana added 63 runs and the latter’s contribution was a princely four runs.

But Dube’s fortune finally deserted him when Rana’s rasping straight drive shattered the stumps at non-striker’s end after taking a deflection off Henry’s hand.

That effectively signalled the end of India’s chase.

Earlier, New Zealand’s innings revolved around Tim Seifert’s blistering fifty.

Seifert (62 off 36 balls, 7×4, 3×6) was the standout Kiwi batter but he did not have enough followers to fully drive home the advantage after India produced tight bowling in the middle overs.

Seifert, who joined the team after appearing in the recent Big Bash League, did not hide his intention, smoking Arshdeep Singh for three fours in a row, although two of them were off edges.

But in the next over, the right-hander smashed Rana for a six over long-on, showcasing his muscle and timing.

In the pacer’s next over, Seifert eked out a six and four in successive balls before sending a Jasprit Bumrah delivery to the sight-screen for another maximum.

New Zealand reached fifty in the fourth over and ended the Power Play at 71 for no loss.

Seifert’s frenetic innings also helped Devon Conway (44) to settle down and then have a go at the Indian bowlers.

After meandering to 9 off 9 balls, the left-hander found his range, plundering two fours and a six off Ravi Bishnoi — a loft between long-on and mid-wicket, a square cut and a slog sweep.

Conway made 35 runs off the next 13 balls but soon holed out to Rinku Singh at deep cover off Kuldeep Yadav, as the home side snapped a 100-run opening wicket alliance.

Seifert soon completed a 25-ball fifty but India found a small creek on the door, and soon snaffled four wickets in the space of 37 runs to reduce the Kiwis to 137 for four in 13.4 overs.

The Indians did not bowl any magic spell but the visiting batters were overly eager to maintain a run rate of 12 that the Seifert-Conway combine was scoring at.

But that overzealous attempt resulted in them losing wickets in a cluster. Daryl Mitchell (39 not out, 18b) made some strong hits in the death overs to take New Zealand past 200.

“If it’s a batting-friendly pitch, I become a batter. If it’s a bowler-friendly pitch, I become a bowler. It is simple.”

When Ravindra Jadeja was asked to shed light on his sustained all-round excellence during India’s second Test against West Indies in New Delhi last month, a throwaway response that evoked chuckles from the press pack was all that came by. It seems to be intrinsic to his nature to not harp on his skills, preferring instead to let his runs, wickets and catches do the talking.

Uncommon flexibility

Even then, the light-hearted reply begs the question: how many actually have the ability with both bat and ball to switch their primary skill based on the vagaries of the 22-yard strip?

On a track conducive to run-making, he is perfectly capable of batting in the top six and peeling off a century. And on a spin-friendly surface, he is equally adept at weaving a web and producing a five-wicket haul. Add his sharp ground fielding and safe catching to the mix, along with his athleticism, endurance and explosive burst of speed, and he clearly belongs to an exotic breed even within the category of all-rounders.

The wide-ranging attributes have helped him scale exemplary numbers in Tests: 3,990 runs, 338 wickets and 49 catches in 87 matches. As and when he crosses the 4,000-run mark, he will join a select gathering of all-rounders — Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Daniel Vettori — to have scored these many runs and claimed 300-plus scalps in the classical format. With a two-Test series against South Africa beginning November 14 in Kolkata, the landmark is imminent.

Yet, as eye-catching as these figures are, it seems reductive to view the 36-year-old’s career purely through the prism of numbers. For as long as he has been around — his Test career will complete 13 years in December — he has been defined by his proclivity to seamlessly slot into different boxes, like water taking the shape of its container, rather than by any conscious pursuit of personal milestones.

“I won’t lie that I don’t think of personal milestones at all. It seems like it will feel good when such things happen. But once it happens, it feels the same as earlier. There is nothing new,” Jadeja explained in the press conference in October. “More than my own milestones… if I perform, does it make the team win? Are my runs and wickets having an impact on the team? Right now, my mindset has become like that. That’s more important. If you score runs and take wickets and the team loses, it has no relevance.”

That Jadeja, famously dubbed ‘rockstar’ in the infancy of his career by Shane Warne, has reached this sweet spot is a reflection of the maturity he has gained over time. Though his slim, supple frame continues to glide across the turf like it did in the reckless rush of youth, having not gained a visible shred of fat in all these years, he is now the oldest member of the Indian team.

In a year that has witnessed the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Tests — his old spin partner R. Ashwin also exited the stage last December — the all-rounder from Jamnagar, set to turn 37 on December 6, is remarkably enjoying his most prolific period with the bat. In eight Tests in 2025, he has scored 659 runs — more than in any other year — at an average of 82.37.

Putting it together

Akin to the ripening of a fruit, Jadeja took time to fuse all the ingredients as a batter at the highest level. Though the raw material was always there — three triple tons in First Class cricket by the time he turned out in Test whites — it was only towards the latter part of 2016, more than three years after making his debut, that Jadeja began to pull his weight with the willow. His batting has scaled up substantially since 2018, producing 2,814 runs in 52 Tests at an average of 44.66. All of his six Test hundreds have come in this period.

He was at his apogee in England this year. In a largely parched summer that facilitated a spree of runs, Jadeja duly filled his boots with 516 runs in 10 innings at 86. It included a streak of four successive half-centuries and was followed by a ton that contributed to India saving the Test in Manchester on the final day. A simple technique, devoid of exaggerated trigger movements, and a steely temperament were the driving forces in this purple patch.

The tour of the Old Blighty, however, wasn’t rewarding with the ball for Jadeja for obvious reasons. There are limitations that the left-arm spinner has as a wicket-taker outside the subcontinent, but even when the conditions are inimical, what he always offers is control from one end as the pacers probe from the other.

Numbers are instructive in this regard. Since January 2010, among bowlers with 200-plus Test wickets, Jadeja’s economy-rate of 2.59 runs per over is the lowest. In an era of rising run-rates, it is a testament to Jadeja’s accuracy in hitting a good length that he is still able to tie batters down. It makes him deadly on turning tracks at home where the benefit of natural variation becomes all the more pronounced, for even the bowler doesn’t always know whether the ball is going to grip and spin or skid into the pads after pitching.

The modus operandi has yielded majestic results, his 338 scalps in the format being the fifth-highest by an Indian behind Anil Kumble, Ashwin, Kapil and Harbhajan Singh.

In the broad spectrum of skills he brings to the table, there is also his contribution to India’s white-ball teams. His last act in T20Is before retiring along with Rohit and Kohli was lifting the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last year. In ODIs, he hasn’t played since winning the Champions Trophy in March.

Strangely, despite his illustrious career, Jadeja hasn’t necessarily got his due from the public at large. Even when he was left out of India’s ODI squad for the recent series against Australia, although chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that it had no bearing on the medium-term, it was no more than a footnote.

Legacy vs. popular memory

It is perhaps because, notwithstanding all the runs, wickets and catches in numerous victories for India, he isn’t associated with a singular defining moment of glory that lives on in popular memory. While he won Chennai Super Kings its fifth IPL title in 2023 by hitting a six and four off the last two deliveries in a cliffhanger, he has had some ‘so near and yet so far’ heartbreaks on national duty. The 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand and the Lord’s Test this year spring to mind.

But in the grand scheme of things, this shouldn’t matter. Because whenever Jadeja hangs up his boots and reflects on whether his runs and wickets had an impact on the Indian team, the answer will be a resounding yes.

Published – November 08, 2025 12:15 am IST