The Minnesota Vikings historically have struggled to run the football consistently to this point in the Kevin O’Connell era.
2025 was widely considered their most successful season in that department, but still, Minnesota 23rd in rushing yards (1841), 18th in rushing touchdowns (15), and 11th in yards per carry (4.5). With the team still very much a middle of the pack group in the rushing department despite some revamps to the offensive line last year, the Vikings could be looking to change things in their running back room.
One way the Vikings could try to do that is through the 2026 NFL Draft. Here are the top five running backs Minnesota could pick up in the first three rounds this April.
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Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Nov 29, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs with the football during the first quarter against Stanford Cardinal safety Che Ojarikre (22) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
It’s a long shot, especially now that the Vikings finished their season at 9-8, but Jeremiyah Love could be an option if a miracle happened and he fell into the late teens this spring. Love brings a little bit of everything out of the backfield. He’s fast, shifty, balanced enough to bounce off tacklers, and he can be a receiver.
He might not quite have the athletic repertoire of a Bijan Robinson, but Love was one of the most highly productive players in all of college football over the past two years, totaling 2,497 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns since 2024. There’s a very strong chance that he ends up in the top 10 of this spring’s draft.
Jonah Coleman, Washington
Oct 4, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Washington Huskies running back Jonah Coleman (1) carries the ball against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Jonah Coleman is one of my favorite players that I’ve watched from this draft class so far. The man is a bowling ball at the running back position at 5’9″ and 228 pounds, and that makes him a very difficult player for opposing defenses to tackle.
Coleman absorbs contact with the best of them, and his balance will be a very attractive trait to NFL teams this spring. He won’t blow anyone away with top end speed, but there isn’t anything Coleman doesn’t do well. He is very patient behind the line of scrimmage, is a great workhorse back, and he can also contribute in pass protection and as a receiver. He caught 31 passes this past season with the Washington Huskies.
Coleman can certainly contribute at the NFL level, but because of his lack of top end speed, he likely will be available for the Vikings in the second or even third round.
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Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson (21) runs against Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Zach Lutmer (6) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
It’s been awhile since Nebraska has had a high end running back, but Emmett Johnson changed the tides in the backfield this season for the Cornhuskers. He became the first Nebraska running back with 1000+ yards since Devine Ozigbo in 2018.
Johnson thrives in zone running schemes, and he was one of the most explosive playmakers out of the backfield in all of college football this season. His 36 carries of 10+ yards tied for sixth in the FBS. If the Vikings want someone who can help in the passing game too, Johnson might be their guy after leading all running backs in the FBS with 46 receptions.
At 5’11” and 200 pounds, Johnson has a sturdy frame to along with outstanding breakaway speed and ability to change directions on a dime. He needs to get better as a blocker if he wants to truly help an NFL passing game, but he can be a difference maker in an NFL offense this year.
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (24) celebrates with wide receiver Malachi Fields (0) after a Price touchdown in the first half of a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend.
While Jeremiyah Love stole much of the spotlight at Notre Dame this past year, Jadarian Price should not be overlooked heading into this draft. In an offense that had a top Heisman candidate in Love, Price still managed to get 120 carries in 2024 and 113 carries in 2025.
There’s a reason for that: Price is a very effective player. Every movement Price makes in the backfield seems effortless and entirely intentional. He has a terrific ability to make cuts in the blink of an eye, leaving defenses with virtually no time to react, or he’ll be gone.
That being said, there are some questions that could impact his placement in the draft. We’ve never seen him be a lead running back at the collegiate level, which is a very unique position for a player who is widely considered to be a Day 2 selection. He could also have some trouble staying on the field on third downs, particularly in passing situations. He only caught 15 passes over the course of his three years at Notre Dame. There were also some fumble concerns this year with three of them all near the goal line.
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Kaytron Allen, Penn State
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) reacts after a rushing touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Like Coleman, Kaytron Allen has a very sturdy frame that keeps his legs churning through defenders. Of his 1303 rushing yards this season, 792 of them came after contact. That was the 16th-most in all of the FBS this past year.
Allen (5’11”, 229 pounds) has been a very productive player at Penn State since he arrived in 2022, totaling at least 167 carries in all four of his seasons with the Nittany Lions. He’s proven time and time again that he can be a workhorse, and a very explosive burst allows him to get to the second level of a defense in a hurry.
However, he also lacks that true home run speed like Coleman. However, unlike Coleman, Allen also has struggled as a receiver, which may force him off the field on third down passing situations. In 2025, he caught 18 passes for just 68 yards. That very likely will cause him to fall into the third round this spring.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus helped with this article.
Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey
The new-look Detroit Lions have been a force to be reckoned with, but this season, they are in what has recently become unfamiliar territory.
After making the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons, the Lions missed out on the playoffs after being one of the favorites to win it all in the preseason.
In 2023, they were this close to making the Super Bowl for the first time. Last season, they lost in their first playoff game as the No. 1 seed.
Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions and running back Jahmyr Gibbs look on prior to an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sept. 7, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
“I really think we have all the pieces, and that’s why this year hurt the way that it did, because you know we have this high elite level of talent,” star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson told Fox News Digital on Radio Row. “I really just think it was a football thing, and it was a lack of complimentary football in critical moments. I think different phases were letting the team down. That’s defense included, too. It sucks that you have to sit there and say it, but I think that’s kind of what happened. Because we have the pieces.”
“I think we just slipped up here and there. Details kind of slipped up, we had a lot of people injured, but I wouldn’t make that as an excuse because we did the same thing last year. Just need to clean up some stuff,” running back Jahmyr Gibbs added. “Everybody’s in the league for a reason. Every team’s good. Every team’s got players getting paid. So, I mean, anybody can beat anybody any given Sunday, Thursday, Monday, whatever it is. We just happened to get beat more than we’re used to. So it is what it is.”
Part of the reason the Lions did not go to that Super Bowl two years ago, many would argue, is Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness on fourth down. But don’t expect anyone on the Lions to ever disagree with their coach’s mentality.
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“We love it,” Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “We’re rocking with it, we feel like we have a good offense, players everywhere that can go make plays on fourth down. We feel like we can get it on every fourth down. Dan’s instilled that in us since we’ve been there… and we feel like we can get it every time.”
Head coach Dan Campbell looks on prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field on Sept. 28, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Gibbs’ answer was much simpler.
“We want more points,” he said.
One thing that the Lions undoubtedly do, though, is lean on one another. Hutchinson and Gibbs partnered with Rocket Mortgage on Radio Row to spread the word on being a good neighbor, and likened home living to the locker room.
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“Be dependable. Always depend on that one person that’s gonna be, then no matter what, to help you. Like, you need your packages picked up. They gonna help you,” Gibbs said.
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“It’s really what Rocket is all about,” added Hutchinson. “And their culture, they preach being a good neighbor and being kind and spreading kindness. The biggest thing is dependability when I think of teammates and neighbors. “I think the severity of the situation changes in-game, a little bit higher pressure, but it’s a similar flair of dependability.”
When asked if anything is missing to get over the hump, Penei Sewell echoed Hutchinson’s teammates about having the right pieces.
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“Nothing comes to mind,” Sewell admitted.
“But I’ll tell you what,” Hutchinson added, “once we all come back for OTAs, we all know what’s at stake. We all know how much has been put into this team and the talent that we have. So it’s going to be continuing to sharpen iron, compete in practice, compete in games, and really become the best version of ourselves.”
The men’s downhill and mixed doubles curling are on the schedule on the first full day of competition. Watch Olympic Morning starting at 5:15 a.m. ET / 2:15 a.m. PT
Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn discusses her plan to compete in the Winter Olympics despite rupturing her ACL. Sports medicine expert Dr. Rick Lehman assesses her chances and the risks involved, noting her mental toughness.
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Olympic gold medalist and American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn continued to defy the odds Friday when she completed her first women’s downhill training run just a week after she tore her ACL in a World Cup race.
Vonn, wearing the No. 10 bib and a brace on her left knee, successfully completed her run on a day when fog delayed skiers waiting for their turn at the famed Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
She did not appear to have any limitations during the training run, although she occasionally veered off course and almost missed some gates. Vonn made it down the 1.6-mile track in 1:40.33 and crossed the all-important finish line.
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in women’s downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Eric Bolte/Imagn Images)
The 41-year-old champion skier, who holds a record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina, including six in the downhill, looked aggressive in her first training session.
An ACL tear typically sidelines an athlete for about a year, but Vonn remains determined to manage the injury and compete. She detailed the severity Friday, writing on X that the critical knee ligament was “100% gone.”
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in women’s downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.(Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)
“My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone,” Vonn wrote.
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Vonn disclosed the injury a day after posting a video of herself squatting with a barbell in the gym. She underwent a partial right knee replacement in 2024, underscoring a long history of knee issues.
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in the finish area during women’s downhill training at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters via Imagn Images)
Vonn celebrated with Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson after Friday’s training run but declined interviews. Asked if she was “all good?” she replied simply, “Yup.”
The women’s alpine downhill begins Sunday with Vonn expected to be at the starting gate.
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“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance. And as long as there’s a chance, I will try,” she told reporters Tuesday at Cortina Curling Stadium.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi recreated the ‘final match you perform’ reel alongside Harvansh Pangalia following India’s win in the U-19 World Cup 2026 final against England. The match was played on Friday, February 6, in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Opting to bat first, India posted 411/9 in 50 overs, with Vaibhav starring with a stunning knock of 175 off just 80 balls, including 15 fours and 15 sixes. In response, England managed 311, as RS Ambrish picked up three wickets to seal a 100-run victory for the team.
As India celebrated their sixth U-19 World Cup title, Harvansh, in a video, asked Vaibhav:
“Final match you perform, what happening?”
The opening batter then hilariously said:
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“Nothing, we won the match, that’s happening. That’s the important thing, we won.”
Watch the clip below:
Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was also awarded the Player of the Game and Player of the Tournament awards.
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“He should be fast-forwarded into the team” – Former India spinner’s massive statement on Vaibhav Suryavanshi
As Vaibhav Suryavanshi stole the show in the U-19 World Cup 2026, scoring 439 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, including three fifties and one century, former spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the opening batter should be included in India’s senior team for their next tour. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said:
“We saw him in the IPL as well, explosive batting, there he wasn’t playing against Under-19 teams there. He is an incredible player. I think for the next India tour, be it ODIs or T20s, he should definitely be included. Imagine a team with Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Jaiswal, it would be an amazing team! And in 2027, there’s the 50-over World Cup, another huge opportunity. Such young, hungry talent should definitely be played.”
“The Olympics are also coming in 2028, and I believe these players deserve opportunities. Vaibhav is already doing big things at such a young age. I won’t compare him to Tendulkar, no one can be like him, but Vaibhav has immense talent and is ready for international cricket. I think he should be fast-forwarded into the team. I hope that once he turns 15 on March 27, he gets a chance to play for India,” he added.
Meanwhile, the southpaw is next expected to be in action during IPL 2026, which begins on March 26, where he will represent Rajasthan Royals (RR).
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A high-stakes “relegation six-pointer” takes centre stage at Turf Moor this Saturday. Both Burnley and West Ham United are desperate to bridge the widening gap to Premier League safety.
Separated by just one place and five points in the bottom three, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Burnley enter the weekend in 19th place after a sobering 3–0 defeat at Sunderland. Meanwhile, West Ham sit six points behind Nottingham Forest following an agonising 3–2 loss at Chelsea. The Hammers must capitalise on a heavily depleted Burnley squad to regain momentum. This fixture represents a massive opportunity to escape the bottom three.
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Burnley vs West Ham United – Match preview and team news
Date: Saturday, 7 February 2026
Venue: Turf Moor, Burnley
Last Meeting: West Ham 3–2 Burnley (8 Nov 2025), Premier League
Team News
Burnley
Scott Parker is navigating a significant injury crisis with six key players potentially sidelined. Midfielders Josh Cullen (ACL) and Zeki Amdouni (knee) are major absentees. Defensive duo Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts also remain unavailable. Furthermore, James Ward-Prowse is ineligible to face his parent club. Notably, Zian Flemming and Jaidon Anthony remain fit to lead the attack.
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West Ham United
The Hammers boast a nearly clean bill of health regarding injuries. However, Jean-Clair Todibo is serving a three-match suspension following a red card against Chelsea. January loan signing Axel Disasi could make his debut in central defence. Notably, Crysencio Summerville enters the match in scintillating form. He has scored in four consecutive games across all competitions.
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Form
Burnley
The Clarets have struggled at home, failing to win in eight consecutive matches at Turf Moor. Notably, Burnley have conceded a league-high six goals in the first 10 minutes. They recently suffered a heavy 3–0 loss to Sunderland. The team has scored in all but two of their 32 home games against West Ham. Consequently, they will rely on clinical finishing to break their 15-game winless run.
West Ham United
West Ham remain unbeaten in their last seven league meetings with Burnley. Notably, the Hammers have failed to keep a clean sheet in 21 consecutive league matches. This represents the longest such run in Europe’s top five leagues. Despite this, they have scored eight goals in the opening 15 minutes this season. Callum Wilson also has a clinical record against Burnley, scoring eight career goals.
West Ham United Predicted XI: Arréola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Bowen, Fernandes, Souček, Summerville; Felipe; Castellanos
How to Watch Burnley vs West Ham United?
Due to the Saturday 3:00 PM blackout, the match will not air live on UK television. Fans in the USA can watch the game on Peacock Premium. Extended highlights will be available on BBC’s Match of the Day at 22:25 GMT.
Among Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s impressive three-year-old fillies, Alpha Sofie is poised as the pioneer for her autumn initiation at Caulfield.
Originally a Queensland filly, she registered two Eagle Farm successes before an explosive debut for Moody and Coleman via a Moonee Valley triumph, followed by an immediate spell.
Coleman expressed the team’s enthusiasm for her return, including stablemates and three-year-old fillies Sheza Alibi and Ole Dancer.
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Moody and Coleman have been pleased with Alpha Sofie’s physical conditioning and development over her layoff period.
“I think she’s improved off her last preparation,” Coleman said.
“Her work and her jump-outs leading into this first-up run have been really impressive.
“She won very comfortably at her only run for us and it was a good form race as well.
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“We’re very excited and the break did her well. She seems more mature and stronger physically this time as well.”
The Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley fell to Alpha Sofie, who saw off Custom, Salty Pearl and fellow stable filly Ole Dancer.
“She (Alpha Sofie) is the first one we’re unleashing and next week we’ll have Sheza Alibi and Ole Dancer back at the races, all being well,” Coleman said.
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“Sheza Alibi goes to the Desirable Stakes while Ole Dancer will go to the fillies and mares Frances Tressady Stakes.”
Flemington hosts both fixtures at 1400m. With Alpha Sofie tackling the Peter Le Grand Stakes first-up, the racing betting markets are worth a look for value.
A new strategic partnership between Swim England and Neurodiverse Sport (NdS) will strengthen neuro‑inclusive practice across aquatics.
The growing prevalence of neurodiversity is a challenge for swimming teachers, with Swim England research finding that up to four in ten children in a swimming lesson could be considered neurodivergent, with this information not always known in advance.
Certain forms of neurodiversity can involve sensory sensitivities that may be heightened in pool environments, including loud noises, bright lighting and busy spaces. Swimming teachers have highlighted a need for greater support, guidance and practical resources to help them respond effectively within group lesson settings. This is particularly important in reducing reliance on one‑to‑one provision, which can be costly and may result in children missing out on regular swimming opportunities altogether.
The collaboration will kick off with a two‑year, test‑and‑learn programme, with research-backed approaches to neuro-inclusion being explored and piloted. Mainstream swimming lessons will be a particular focus.
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Caragh McMurtry, co-founder and CEO of Neurodiverse Sport CIC, says: “Neuroinclusion is never about a single solution – it’s about understanding people, environments and experiences and being willing to keep listening, testing and adapting. We’re excited to take this next step together and to learn what genuinely helps neurodivergent people feel safe, supported and able to thrive in and around the water.”
Two national surveys are being carried out one with parents and carers and one with swimming teachers, alongside a programme of in‑depth interviews with teachers. The insight gathered will inform practical recommendations to better support neurodivergent learners and the professionals teaching them, with the aim of making swimming lessons inclusive, safe, and accessible for all.
National participation and growth manager at Swim England, Alex Barrett, says: “By working together to build robust insight and evidence, we can develop practical learning that we will share with the sector to support swimming teachers, schools and providers. This work will directly inform our wider learn to swim review and help ensure that swimming opportunities are inclusive, positive and accessible for all.”
The surveys on how to make swimming lessons more inclusive are open until Monday 23 February 2026 via these links for teachers and parents.
The team at Ciaron Maher is falling back on past successes to sharpen Strawberry Rock for a return to the winners’ circle in Hobart.
Victory in Sunday’s Group 3 Hobart Cup (2400m) would mark back-to-back successes for Strawberry Rock, who bested old stablemate Promises Kept in the previous edition.
National Assistant Trainer Jack Turnbull from Ciaron Maher Racing revealed Strawberry Rock’s month-long stay at Seven Mile Beach was aimed at injecting pace into his gallop.
Without a win since last year’s Hobart Cup, Strawberry Rock still achieved second in the Listed Mornington Cup during April.
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This time in, Strawberry Rock posted a near-identical beating to the Pakenham Cup winner as 12 months ago, and his freshest run saw him miss by 1.7 lengths in the Listed Bagot Handicap (2800m) over 2800m at Flemington on the last day of December.
“We took Strawberry over early just because of the way they are trained over there,” Turnbull said.
“The environment is much easier for them. Last year he was only treading water, and he really came on when he went there with Promises Kept.
“He was racing very dour and we needed to get some speed in his legs and hopefully we’ve done that down there again.”
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Turnbull highlighted similarities between Seven Mile Beach’s setup and Cranbourne’s facilities.
“They live in sand yards,” Turnbull said.
“The bush tracks are fantastic, and you have access to the beach. It replicates what we have at Cranbourne to an extent, but it’s deeper sand and you can incorporate wading through the water.”
Ziryab, another from the stable, is also targeting the Sunday Hobart Cup and was dispatched to Seven Mile Beach with Strawberry Rock.
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Ziryab got the better of Strawberry Rock at Pakenham and then raced in Tasmania, crossing the line eighth in the Summer Cup (2000m) on January 18 at Hobart.
“He was wide, no cover, keen, and ran poor,” Turnbull said.
“He’s given us no reason to bring him home and his work has been solid from then through to now.
“He’s the pick of the two if he was to get back into the form he was in Melbourne as Strawberry needs to lift a little, and hopefully he does.”
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The racing betting markets for the Hobart Cup are heating up, with plenty of options for punters.
Fourteen. It is an age when young boys put up posters of their favourite stars on the walls and cupboards of their room, and in the insides of their compass boxes. After what Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unleashed on the hapless English bowlers on Friday, he himself has become a pin-up star for many boys older than him. Why? Because for a brief period, he threatened to erase the original romance that Indian cricket fans felt for the number 175. Of course, Kapil Dev’s Tunbridge Wells miracle in the 1983 World Cup will always reside rent free in the hearts, minds, and souls of Indian cricket tragics, but Suryavanshi’s savagery, sauciness, and skill has established another Zimbabwe bond — coming in the country’s cricketing cathedral, the Harare Sports Club.The ingenuity of T20 batting rarely marries technical excellence and purity of strokeplay, needed in longer formats, but Sooryavanshi has that. The fact that he idolises Brian Lara, no stranger to spending long hours at the nets, and copied his bat swing by seeing videos of him stored on his phone, tells us that he knows only the big scores will keep him in sight of the people who matter. A certain Sachin Tendulkar had the same appetite for big runs in those early years of his.
T20 World Cup Groups Explained: Who Can Reach the Super 8
Explaining his bat swing, his personal coach and former Mumbai batter Zubin Bharucha, who Sooryavanshi spoke with last night, says, “Time and space are his greatest assets.” Elaborating, Bharucha says hitting thousands of balls in practice has enabled Sooryavanshi become as good as he is. “His head falls naturally into the ball a la Viv Richards, Tendulkar and Gavaskar. The bat always remains outside the line of the ball. The space, otherwise defined as how far away from the body the elbows work, like an early Tendulkar or AB de Villiers, Richards and Gavaskar.”When commentators and experts see Sooryavanshi bat, they are struck by the amount of time he has. He seems to have that extra fraction of a second to play the ball. Bharucha explains, “Time is a function created from a long and high back-lift like Lara’s. But that also means he needs to hit thousands of balls in practice because timing and rhythm can go awry since things need syncing with the rest of the body. He often talks about losing this rhythm and feels like he can’t hit a ball. This is normal for batters with that long bat swing.”But hitting 1,000s of balls in practice needs time and a distraction-free life. Surely, there are more interesting things that consume 14-year-olds, especially someone who already has crores in his bank account. Bharucha avers, “He has immense hunger and he doesn’t need any pushing.”
The youngster also loves to problem-solve by treating nets as a sacrosanct space. Bharucha explains, “He has the diligence to call me before every match and ask how he can adapt. Last night was no different, where the plan was to continue to be positive. He knew England will be bowling yorkers and bouncers to slow him down, and he knew that he had to use the space behind the keeper than just trying to pull every ball.”When you have someone who is so talented, there will be clamour in India to rush him into big-time cricket quickly, as people suggest he is too good for the Under-19 level. Bharucha wants people to tread with caution and says there is some way to go before calling Sooryavanshi a finished product. “He needs to eliminate errors and know where to score runs,” he cautions.When probed on the weaknesses, Bharucha, like a tough taskmaster, explains, “He finds it difficult to cut the ball. When in Australia, he found it tough to play the backfoot drive. The leg-side play on the front foot still does not exist because his front foot lands outside the line of the ball. With that back-lift, the short ball can be an issue, because from all that the bat has to do to get to the ball.”And what about comparisons with Tendulkar? “Tendulkar, even at 14, had a fantastic defensive technique to go with his attacking game. Sooryavanshi is still learning the defensive bit,” says Bharucha.
