Saim Ayub gives baby-cradle send-off to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Asian Games final
Saim Ayub celebrated Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's dismissal with a baby-cradle gesture during the Asian Games final in Nisshin.
Pakistan all-rounder Saim Ayub produced a baby-cradle celebration after dismissing India's 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the Asian Games men's cricket final on Saturday. Sooryavanshi had scored 15 off nine balls, including two sixes, before edging an Abrar Ahmed delivery to wicketkeeper Usman Khan at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first on a surface offering turn and bounce.
India reached the final after beating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final while Pakistan advanced by defeating Bangladesh in a rain-shortened semi-final. The teams did not exchange handshakes at the toss. Sooryavanshi has been dismissed three times by off-spin in his international career, giving Pakistan a potential point of attack on a turning pitch.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said Sooryavanshi should not change his approach, noting the left-hander has shown a decent temperament for the big stage. Manjrekar added that opponents tend to bring spin on early against the teenager.
CricHubb Take
The gesture underscores how seriously Pakistan are taking a 15-year-old's threat, treating him as a match-winner rather than a novelty.