Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Getty Images)
New Delhi: Excitement around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grow as India prepares to take on England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford on Saturday.The 15-year-old has been included in India’s squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England after a sensational season in the IPL.
However, he is still awaiting his international debut.
While fans and experts continue to call for his inclusion, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, has urged everyone not to put too much pressure on the youngster.“I haven’t seen him play much. He’s a big talent, no doubt. But I think we talk about him a lot. Right now, give him some time. Don’t overdo it. He’s young right now and he’s not at the age to understand everything,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.
“Talented like Sachin and Virat.”
Kapil believes Sooryavanshi possesses extraordinary talent and even compared him with two of India’s greatest batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.However, he said the teenager still has to prove himself in the longer formats of the game.“If you talk about talent, then yes, he is as good as Sachin (Tendulkar) and Virat Kohli. This great talent is visible in him, but only in T20 cricket. In the rest of the formats, he will have to prove himself,” he added.
“Do not calculate his age, but calculate his strength.”
Kapil also backed the youngster to make his debut in India if the team management believes he is ready.Compared to Sachin Tendulkar’s international debut, the former India captain said ability should be more important than age.“He is fantastic in T20s. You won’t find even 1% of players making such an impact at such a young age. We can talk about Sachin because he was also very young when we played him. We kept thinking if it is too early, but if you look at history, you fear it is too late.”
“If he is ready, don’t count his age, count his ability,” the former India captain said.Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs at an impressive strike rate of 237.30, almost single-handedly taking Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs. His performance earned him a place in India’s squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games.Despite his selection, Sooryavanshi did not feature in either T20Is against Ireland.Ahead of the two matches, fans and former cricketers debated whether India should give him his debut. These calls became louder after India suffered a horrific 2-0 defeat, with the top order suffering in both matches.The demand for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the England series also continued.However, the 15-year-old remained on the bench for the rain-hit first T20I at Chester-le-Street, which ended scoreless after incessant rain.
All eyes on Manchester
With the series still level after the elimination, attention has now turned to the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.Whether India will finally give Suryavanshi his long-awaited debut remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Saturday’s match.
