New Zealand plot downfall of 'incredible' India teen Sooryavanshi

New Zealand have done their homework on India prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and expect their home conditions will challenge the 15-year-old sensation in the Twenty20 series starting on Thursday, paceman Jacob Duffy said.

Sooryavanshi has lit ​up world cricket with his power-hitting, breaking a string of records in the Indian Premier League ‌before becoming India’s youngest international in the men’s game with his debut in the T20 series in England in July.

After a slow start against England, the teenage opener became the youngest player to score a half-century in men’s international cricket when he clobbered an 18-ball ​fifty against Zimbabwe.

He recently won an Asian Games gold medal in Japan as India swept to the T20 ​cricket title in Aichi-Nagoya.

Duffy said New Zealand had been studying the left-hander in the buildup ⁠to the five-match series, which starts at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.

“First of all, he’s an incredible talent. Obviously, he’s ​taken the IPL by storm and what’s amazing, he strikes it so hard but he does it so consistently,” Duffy ​told reporters on Tuesday.

“He’s striking at 250 (strike-rate) every game and he’s not missing out very often. So that’s incredible in itself.

“I think he played in England, so conditions will be a little bit different for him, so that’s obviously one thing for him to ​be challenged with.

“We’ve certainly had a good scouting session on him and got our plans as to what we ​want to do to him.”

India fans will be eager to see what Sooryavanshi can do in New Zealand, where the pitches tend ‌to ⁠be seam-friendly.

Duffy said he had spoken to Hagley Oval’s head groundsman about what to expect from the wicket, hoping that it will not be a batter’s paradise like some subcontinent pitches.

“He’s from Invercargill, so he’s promised me a little bit of bounce,” said Duffy, who was born in Lumsden, a small town near the South Island city.

“As long as ​it’s not Hyderabad, I’m happy.”

The ​T20 series is the ⁠first part of India’s tour, with one-day matches and a two-test series to follow.

Otago bowler Duffy has had a big year, claiming the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal as New ​Zealand’s top player in 2025 and making the final of this year’s T20 World ​Cup in India ⁠before winning the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He made his test debut last year at the age of 31 but missed the mid-year tour of England and the one-off test against Ireland to be home with his wife for the birth ⁠of their ​first child.

The absence from the test setup has made him doubly ​keen to tear into India with the red ball ahead of a four-test tour of Australia.

“I’ve played four tests in my life. I get ​up for any test. There’s something special about them,” he said.