India’s veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami revealed how he had a friendly banter with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi while representing East Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. Shami told the 15-year-old youngster that his cricketing career is older than his age.

Sooryavanshi was named as the vice-captain for East Zone and even led the team when Ishan Kishan was not on the field. The youngster also took a few successful reviews for the team.

On the other hand, Shami was at his best in the first innings, returning with figures of 2-42 in 16 overs he bowled in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone.

Shami said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, “He loves pulling my leg! I usually tease him back by saying he isn’t even as old as my cricket career. But he constantly banters with me, and that’s great to see. Being able to open up, mingle freely, and build camaraderie will serve him well going forward. I always encourage players to speak openly with everyone [in the team].”

Shami said a lot of the upcoming youngsters are mature after playing in a top league like the Indian Premier League.

“Most of these youngsters are already quite mature. With the level of cricket they play today, in the IPL and other high-pressure tournaments, maturity comes early, so you don’t need to over-coach them. But yes, when the game gets tight and challenging, that’s when you step in with tactical inputs and remind them to keep fighting,” said Shami (via the aforementioned source).

Shami scalped seven wickets in three matches of Duleep Trophy at an average of 26.57. On the other hand, Sooryavanshi scored 192 runs in five innings of the red-ball tournament at an average of 38.40.