The last time Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walked off the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe, he did so as a national hero.
Five months on, the teenage sensation is all set to return to the very same venue - only this time as a member of the senior Indian cricket team with a point to prove.
India begin a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe on Thursday, with all three games to be staged at Harare - the same ground where, earlier this year, Sooryavanshi smashed 175 off 80 balls in the Under-19 World Cup final against England.
That Player-of-the-Match masterclass carried India to a 100-run win and a record sixth U19 World Cup title, with the teenager signing off as India's leading run-scorer of the tournament.
Ahead of the upcoming series, the Rajasthan Royals prodigy admitted the return to Harare had stirred up plenty of emotion.
"Harare is a very memorable ground for me. Four months ago, we played and won the Under-19 World Cup here," Vaibhav Sooryavanshi said.
"Representing India is every youngster's dream, so it is a very special moment. Coming back to the same ground where we created history a few months ago and getting another chance to play here feels amazing.”
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Handed his senior India debut against England earlier this month, Sooryavanshi became the country's youngest-ever men's international at 15 years and 99 days - eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record.
The returns with the bat, however, have not quite matched the milestone. Scores of 14, 13 and 15 across three T20Is saw the aggressive teenager get starts but fail to convert these to big scores as India slipped to a 4-0 series defeat.
The Bihar teenager, though, is refusing to dwell on the setbacks.
"The last four months have had plenty of ups and downs. But that's part of cricket and life," he said. "We will keep following the same process and give our hundred percent for the team."
Harare seems like the perfect venue to hit the reset button.
Sooryavanshi has already tasted success on this surface - a 33-ball 68 against Afghanistan in the semi-final at the same venue preceded his final heroics - and the left-hander is banking on that familiarity.
"I already have a good idea about the pitches and conditions here from last time. I will try to use that experience in the matches and perform well," Sooryavanshi said. "I have played two matches at this ground, and both went really well. Now I will try to carry that form forward."
The underlying message was one of self-belief - the same fearless approach that, in his debut IPL season two years back, made him the youngest centurion in the tournament's history and the author of the fastest IPL hundred by an Indian.
If anything, the returns have only compounded in year two. The teenager went on to become the youngest player to win the Orange Cap and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as he led Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs in IPL 2026.
"I will back everything that I have been doing in practice. I will back my game," Sooryavanshi added. "I will try to contribute as much as I can for the team."
India, meanwhile, arrive in Zimbabwe chasing a fresh start of their own. Shreyas Iyer's side endured a torrid run, losing the T20I series 2-0 in Ireland and 4-0 in England, while Shubman Gill's men also went down 2-1 to England in the ODIs.
