File pic- A photo of the Sri Lankan U-19 bowlers who got an opportunity to bowl to the India A batters, including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the nets. | Photo Credit: Shayan Acharya

A group of young bowlers walked off the Rangiri International Stadium outfield a little taller on Sunday afternoon. Drafted in to bowl to the India A batters during a training session, the Under-19 hopefuls relished every moment, but there was one wicket they were particularly eager to chase — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Like many teenagers across the cricketing world, they have followed Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise with fascination. The chance to test themselves against him in the nets was enough to add an extra spring to their step. Every ball sent his way carried a touch more effort and intent.

“He is a smart cricketer,” Nithnal, one of the net bowlers, told  Sportstar, the grin on his face revealing how much the experience meant.

For the youngsters, it was only a net session. But it was also a glimpse of the level they dream of reaching one day.

Among them was 15-year-old Udarsha — the same age as Sooryavanshi — who idolises Sachin Tendulkar. Though Tendulkar retired when he was barely two, stories from his coach ensured the Indian great occupied a special place in his imagination. Bowling to Indian players had long been on his bucket list. On Sunday, that wish finally came true.

Operating in tandem, he bowled to both Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma and took particular delight in troubling them on a few occasions. “We gave the ball more air and flight. The more you flight it, the more revs you get, and it was nice to beat them a couple of times,” Udarsha said with a smile, drawing laughs from his teammates.

“He may be our age, but he is an extremely sharp cricketer. You can make that out from the way he approaches the game,” Nithnal said of Sooryavanshi.

As Nithnal spoke about Sooryavanshi’s batting, one of his teammates drifted into a different line of enquiry altogether. Curious about the teenager’s meteoric rise, he wanted to know how much the young Indian star earned.

When told about Sooryavanshi’s IPL contract and growing list of endorsements, the bowler’s eyes widened in disbelief. “So much money!” he exclaimed, before quickly reaching for a calculator of his own. “How much would that be in Sri Lankan currency?”

The answer drew an even bigger reaction from the group, followed by a chorus of whistles and laughter.

For a few moments, cricket took a back seat as the youngsters tried to wrap their heads around the scale of the numbers being discussed. To them, Sooryavanshi was not just a gifted batter of their age, but also a teenager living a life that felt worlds apart from their own.

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Yet, after the initial amazement subsided, the conversation returned to what had impressed them most — not the money, but the maturity and sharpness with which he went about his cricket. Most of the boys come from Dambulla and its neighbouring towns, carrying dreams of one day wearing Sri Lanka colours.

Before chasing those ambitions, however, they were happy to savour a memorable afternoon spent bowling to some of Indian cricket’s brightest stars.

And once training ended, the youngsters gathered in a corner of the ground, phones in hand, waiting patiently for selfies. The Indian players happily posed for pictures, while members of the support staff encouraged the youngsters for being ‘wonderful’ net bowlers.

For the boys from Dambulla, it was the perfect ending to a day they are unlikely to forget anytime soon.

Published on Jun 14, 2026