In the fourth T20I match, held in Bristol against England on Thursday (July 9), fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi once again faced difficulties playing against short balls. Fast bowler Jofra Archer exploited the same weakness that had previously been noted in him.
Match Progression and Dismissal
India won the toss and decided to bat first. However, the team suffered its first defeat in the third over when India's score was 23 runs. On the fourth ball of the third over, Archer bowled from the side line, slightly behind the length, outside the offside. The ball landed with extra bounce towards Vaibhav's body, preventing him from attacking freely.
Despite this, Vaibhav attempted to hit a powerful shot over the boundary. The ball did not connect properly with the bat and flew high into the air. Sam Curran, positioned at mid-on, caught it easily.
Statistics and Game Tactics
Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 15 runs off 10 balls, including one boundary and one six. His strike rate was 150, but he could not turn a good start into a big innings.
Throughout this T20 series, Vaibhav Suryavanshi repeatedly demonstrated problems when facing short and back-of-a-length deliveries. English bowlers consistently targeted this vulnerability, and in the fourth match, Archer succeeded by using the same strategy. Previously, in the Nottingham T20 match, Jofra Archer also dismissed Vaibhav Suryavanshi on a short ball while he was scoring 13 runs.
England knew that Vaibhav preferred an aggressive start when coming out to bat with a new ball. Therefore, Archer decided to test him by using balls aimed at the body instead of allowing him room for a drive.
Previous Incident
In the Nottingham T20 match, on the fourth ball of the second over, Archer bowled a very fast short ball along the leg stump at a speed of 145 km/h. Vaibhav attempted to play a hook in his natural style, but the ball's speed was so high that he lacked space to swing. The ball lightly touched the edge of his glove and went into the hands of batsman-keeper Jos Buttler.
