There's a lovely story Kumar Sangakkara told Sky Sports about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It was last year. He was the director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals (RR), Rahul Dravid was the coach. At a "tiny, horrible little" net, nobody wanted to face Jofra Archer. Sooryavanshi actually volunteered, the new balls were out, but all Sangakkara could hear was "gunshots" from the bat of the 14-year-old. At one point, Archer just stopped and laughed with incredulity at the prodigy.
Since then there has probably been many a battle in the RR nets between the two. A literal kid against one of the most fearsome fast bowlers to have ever bowled. A fast bowler who is naturally good at the delivery that Sooryavanshi is not at his best against: the quick bouncer at his body. Ask Steven Smith.
Having been his team-mate in the IPL and seeing what he is capable of, Archer was not bringing out kid gloves for Sooryavanshi. To bowl against Sooryavanshi in a match was something Archer had been looking forward to. Sooryavanshi was just as hyped for this contest on international debut.
At Old Trafford, the ground where another prodigy got his first international century, Sooryavanshi added Archer to an illustrious list that contains Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Trent Boult: bowlers he has hit for a six the first time he has faced them in T20 cricket, to go with a first-ball four off Josh Hazlewood. This was almost a sweep off a fast bowler running in with the new ball. This was also the last time Archer would bowl full to him without meaning to bowling a yorker.
That reaction from Archer in the Guwahati nets that Sangakkara spoke of is quite reminiscent of how another coach Justin Langer spoke of Sooryavanshi during this year's IPL, his second season. He said you have fair dinkum greats like Mitchell Starc who are just bemused at how Sooryavanshi is hitting everything bowled at him. "Where are they going to bowl to him?" Langer said rhetorically.
One man who knew where to bowl to Sooryavanshi is Archer. And it is just good old nose or toes. It is actually a back-handed compliment that England's new-ball bowlers this series have not even tried to swing or seam the ball. They are possibly conceding there that a 15-year-old is so good at hitting traditional bowling that you have to immediately go short or yorker.
Archer got only three balls against Sooryavanshi at Old Trafford as Will Jacks soon had him stumped but the competitor in him considered it 1-0 Sooryavanshi even though he scored just 14 and England went on to win quite comfortably.
At Trent Bridge, Archer started with a bouncer on leg stump immediately. The second one provided Sooryavashi some width, and he was quick to uppercut him for six. Archer to Sooryavanshi so far: five balls, 13 runs, two sixes.
Archer then cut out the bouncer outside off as well. It has since then been either bouncer on or down leg or yorkers. And he has bowled some mean bouncers. He has not minded being wided down the leg side. The idea has been simple: there is a small zone where Sooryavanshi can't score sixes, and I have to stay there.
The ball that Archer got Sooryavanshi with at Trent Bridge was the prototype to bowl to Sooryavanshi: quick, 145kph/90mph or more, short, climbing, and on the leg stump or just outside. Sooryavanshi ended up gloving it through to Jos Buttler. "It's evens now," Archer said. "We have two games left and it could go anywhere so may the best man win."
"Man". What a reminder. He is in a country whose laws say he needs to change in a different dressing room because he is still a boy playing with grown men. Once on the field, though, the men are not going to make any allowances. Especially when you have just had the greatest season any batter has had at the IPL.
In Bristol, Sooryavanshi even took first strike. Archer stayed true to the plan. Bouncers. No room. Or yorkers. He even started with a wide down the leg side. Sooryavanshi kept taking on every short ball, failing to middle any of the four before totally clothing the fifth for an easy catch to mid-on.
It is 2-1 Archer, but in between Sooryavanshi still managed to hit a four and a six off Josh Tongue. There is perhaps a lesson in there for Sooryavanshi. There is just too much risk in trying to keep hooking Archer, but there are very few bowlers who can consistently maintain that hostility and that line. There are some battles you can afford to sit out especially when you have the ability to catch up. That is something he can borrow from Chris Gayle, a T20 visionary.
Not to say that Sooryavanshi and the coaches wouldn't have thought of such an obvious tactic. Possibly adrenaline takes over. Possibly the competitive spirit comes in. At 13 balls, 18 runs, two sixes and two dismissals against Archer, the competitor inside Sooryavanshi will perhaps look at a different way to score runs either off other bowlers or off Archer's second spell when the ball is softer.
England have won the series, but how this kid signs off from his first international series and his first real debacle in competitive cricket is something to watch out for in the final match.