NEW DELHI: The excitement around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to build as India prepare to face England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford on Saturday.The 15-year-old batting sensation has been included in India’s squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England after a sensational IPL season. However, he is still waiting for his international debut. While fans and pundits continue to demand his inclusion, India’s 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev he urged everyone not to put too much pressure on the young man.“I haven’t seen him play much. He’s a huge talent, no doubt. But I think we’re talking too much about him. At the moment, give him some time. Don’t hype him so much. He’s young at the moment and he’s not old enough to understand everything,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.
“Talents like Sachin and Virat”
Kapil believes that Sooryavanshi possesses extraordinary talent and even compared him to two of India’s greatest batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.However, he said that the teenager still has to prove himself in the longer formats of the game.“If you talk about talent, yes, he is as good as Sachin (Tendulkar) and Virat Kohli. This much talent is visible in him, but only in T20 cricket. In the rest of the formats, he has to prove himself,” he added.
“Don’t count his age, count his ability”
Kapil has also backed the youngster for an India debut if the team management believes he is ready.Drawing parallels with Sachin Tendulkar’s first international debut, the former India captain said ability should matter more than age.“He is fabulous in T20s. You will not find even one percent of players who make such an impact at such a tender age. We can talk about Sachin because he was still very young when we played him. We kept thinking if it was too early, but if you look at history, I fear it might be too late. If he is ready, don’t count his age, count his ability,” said the former India captain.Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 237.30, almost single-handedly taking Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs. His performances earned him a place in India’s squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games.Despite being selected, Sooryavanshi did not feature in either of the two T20Is against Ireland.Before the two matches, fans and former cricketers debated whether India should give him his debut. Those calls became even louder after India suffered a 2-0 series defeat, with the top order struggling in both games.The demand for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion continued in the England series as well.However, the 15-year-old remained on the bench in the first T20I in the rain at Chester-le-Street, which ended without a result after persistent rain.
All eyes on Manchester
With the series still level after the washout, the focus has now shifted to the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.Whether India have finally handed Sooryavanshi his long-awaited debut remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Saturday’s clash.
