Lhuan-dre Pretorius Hails India Wonderkid Sooryavanshi And Reaffirms Test Cricket Dream

Fresh from his stint in the Indian Premier League, Lhuan-dre Pretorius has opened up on the valuable lessons he took from the competition, his ambitions in Test cricket and his determination to become a permanent fixture in the Proteas squad.

Sooryavanshi & IPL Experience

Pretorius played two games in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, one against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and another against the Lucknow Super Giants, where he returned scores of 0 and 7, respectively. 

While the 20-year-old did not quite get the performances he was after, he told SportsBoom.co.za that he took away invaluable lessons from the experience as he featured in his second IPL season at the tender age of 20. 

The left-handed batter was also teammates with India's newly found star, the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who topped the runs charts this year.

Pretorius praised the youngster, saying there is nothing else left to add except that the teenager is good. 

"I don't know what else there is to say about Vaibhav. Everyone has said what needs to be said about him. He's so good," Pretorius told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview. 

"My experience at the IPL was really good. I learned a lot, although I didn't play a lot. You can definitely learn a lot from all those big personalities in the squad."

Becoming A Regular Proteas

Over the last 12 months, the youngster has been integrated into the Proteas environment, having been impressive for the Titans in domestic cricket and also in the SA20. 

As a result, the left-hander has earned 18 international caps, two Tests, three One Day Internationals and 13 T20Is. 

Despite being one of the most exciting talents in the country, Pretorius understands that there is still work to do as he pushes to become a regular in the senior men's national set-up.

Moreover, the youngster made it clear that he has a desire to become a successful Test cricketer, making him a rare breed given the new wave of youngsters who almost only have an eye for white-ball cricket.

"When it comes to international cricket, it was really nice to have a taste. I think I've played 17 international matches now, and it was really good for my learning," he said. 

"I took everything I learned from international cricket, and it stuck with me. I just want to keep working hard. It's very important for me to play international cricket, and I want to have a long international career and play Test cricket for South Africa. That's my ultimate dream." 

"So, there are a lot of people who do well that want to play international cricket, and there are only 11 guys at the end of the day that can play." 

"So, it's just about focusing on my own journey and making sure I do all the right things. It's about making sure I give myself the best chance to keep knocking on the door and have a chance to be a consistent member of the Proteas team."

Big Runs vs England Lions

When it comes to knocking on the door for selection in the Proteas set-up, Pretorius has continued to make a case for himself, as he struck a century and a half-century against the England Lions in the UK recently. 

Pretorius told SportsBoom that the IPL experience played a hand in his success against the England Lions, and that he had to adapt to the conditions to realise success. 

"(The game against the England Lions) was my first game right after the IPL. So, I definitely took all the learnings (from the IPL) into the two one-day games that I played against the England Lions, and it seemed to be working." 

"The conditions were a lot different to what I'm used to, but I feel like I back myself to be adaptable enough. As a cricketer, I feel you have to be adaptable, and that's what I think most cricketers pride themselves on," he concluded.