Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s New Zealand Test: Rob Walter Eager to See How Teen Sensation Handles Pace and Bounce

XtraTime Web Desk: New Zealand head coach Rob Walter is keen to see how Indian teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi handles the challenge of pace and bounce when India tour New Zealand. Walter is particularly interested in seeing how the young batter performs under pressure and adapts to conditions that are very different from those in India.

Suryavanshi grabbed plenty of attention with his explosive performances in the 2025 IPL and continued to impress while representing India at the Under-19 level. His performances earned him a call-up to India’s senior T20I squad, and the teenager also made his international debut in England. Although he was part of the squad for the Afghanistan series, he did not feature in the playing XI.

Walter admitted that he is curious to see how Suryavanshi copes with New Zealand’s pace-friendly and bouncy pitches, where the conditions can provide a significant challenge to young batters.

“Yes, there is curiosity to see how Vaibhav handles pace and bounce. He is an exciting cricketer. He handled some of the best bowlers in the world really well in the IPL. Now it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a different environment and how well we can bowl to him in our home conditions,” Walter said.

The New Zealand coach, however, stressed that India have plenty of star players even if Suryavanshi does not feature in the playing XI.

Walter also spoke about the controversial wide-ball decision during the India-Japan match. The New Zealand T20I side is returning to action for the first time since the T20 World Cup, making the upcoming series an important opportunity for the team to get back into international rhythm.