‘Why waste a six-hitting ball on taking singles doubles?’:Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s coach Manish Ojha reveals youngster’s mindset

In the Under-19 World Cup, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has brought glory to Bihar and the entire country with his brilliant performance. On this special achievement, Dainik Bhaskar spoke to Vaibhav’s coach, Manish Ojha. Manish said that he never watches Vaibhav’s live matches because he fears that he might get out. The coach said that when Vaibhav came to him at the age of 8, he had a great passion for the game. He used to wake up at 4 AM to come to the cricket academy. Vaibhav continuously practiced for 8 hours and never got tired. He practiced with 500 balls in a day. Vaibhav’s coach said, ‘When I pointed out Vaibhav’s habit of hitting a boundary on every ball, Vaibhav said, “Why should I waste a ball that I can hit for a six by taking a single or a double?” Read the full interview of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s coach Manish Ojha: Question: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a magnificent century and set several records with his outstanding performance in the U-19 final match. How does it feel? Answer: This is a moment of great pride for us. What greater achievement can there be for a coach than to have his student win the World Cup for India? This is a moment of hope and glory for me. Question: Did you watch the live match when Vaibhav was batting? Answer: When Vaibhav plays a match, I don’t watch it, because I get very nervous that he might get out. I ask people around if he is playing the match or not. Until he scores 100 runs, I neither watch the match nor ask for the score. Even when I came for Vaibhav’s debut match in Ranji, I couldn’t watch more than two balls. At that time, my two students, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sarman Nigrodh, were opening for Bihar. Even then, there was a desire for both to perform well, so that excitement turns into nervousness. That’s why I watch Vaibhav’s match after he completes 100 runs, and then I watch the highlights later. Question: When did Vaibhav come to you and how did his journey begin? Answer: Vaibhav’s father brought him to me at the age of 8. His house is in Samastipur, which is about 80 kilometers away from Patna. So we decided that Vaibhav would come and practice on alternate days. Vaibhav used to wake up at 4 AM for practice and his mother would keep the food ready. Then he would reach me by 8 AM. After that, I would start the practice, which would continue until 4 PM. We would make him bat until he got tired, or rather, I would get tired while making him practice, but Vaibhav would not stop. When Vaibhav used to arrive for practice in the morning, I would be the first to train him. I would make Vaibhav practice basic drills, bowling by hand, and batting against throws from a robo-arm. When I got tired, other coaches from the academy would practice with him. When they got tired, then bowlers would bowl for hours. Even after the session ended, when we would ask Vaibhav if he wanted to bat more, he would always say yes. In one day, Vaibhav would practice with more than 500 balls. Question: What was that moment when you felt that Vaibhav would go very far in his cricket career? Answer: A good habit in Vaibhav is that he learns things quickly. If you demonstrate any technical process to Vaibhav, he would adopt it very quickly. He not only adopted these things in practice but also executed them in open net sessions and match simulations. Secondly, his level of confidence was visible while playing matches. When he played strokes, he dominated, and it felt like there was something different about this child. Seeing his batting skills in tough situations, it felt like he had a lot of potential and was a big player. Question: Did Vaibhav ever say who he wanted to be like? Answer: Vaibhav considers Brian Lara his idol. His back lift is also similar to his. If you consider someone an idol, you try many of their things. Vaibhav considers Brian Lara his role model. Question: When you last spoke to Vaibhav, what tips did you give him? Answer: Recently, I went to the Vijay Hazare Trophy held in Ranchi. At that time, he was getting out many times due to the pull shot, regarding which I gave him tips on how to play. In the intent of the game, the body posture gets messed up in an attempt to play all the balls. I gave him tips on how to do it in a new way. Question: During matches, Vaibhav hits a lot of boundaries and takes fewer singles. Have you ever given him any suggestions regarding this? Answer: During practice sessions, when we used to give Vaibhav a target of 50 overs, he would hit big strokes while playing. Once I told him that hitting fours and sixes all the time while playing is not right, because if you get selected for a state match, there are 4-day matches. It’s not possible for you to hit a six on every ball. So, you should also take singles and doubles. Then he had said, ‘Why should I take a single or double on a ball that I can hit for a six?’ Vaibhav has always wanted to dominate the bowler. Question: What do you think about Vaibhav’s performance, will he get an early entry into the senior team? Answer: The way Vaibhav is performing, BCCI should consider him. The specialty of that child is that wherever he got an opportunity, he performed well. He has maintained his aggression. Now, all that remains is for him to perform for Team India. I request the BCCI to give Vaibhav an early break in Team India.