NEW DELHI: The debate over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut in India refuses to die down. The 15-year-old batting sensation was part of India’s T20I squads on tours of Ireland and England but is still waiting for his first international match.While fans continue to demand his inclusion, the former India captain Kapil Dev he shared an interesting perspective. While cautioning against creating too much hype around the youngster, he also said India should not wait too long if they believe he is ready.Comparing with Sachin TendulkarOn the early debut, Kapil said, “There are a few things — and we can mention Sachin because he was the same age when he played. We wondered if we played him a little too early. But if you see the history, you will realize (and think), ‘kabhi kabhi late na ho jaye’ (what if you end up delaying it?).”
‘Count his abilities, not his years’
Kapil believes that Sooryavanshi should be cast on merit and not on his age.“I feel that if he is fit, his age should not be counted (considered), but his ability should be counted. If you feel he can be played based on his ability, he should be played,” Kapil said on Sports Tak.‘In terms of talent, he is as good as Sachin and Virat’Kapil also spoke highly of the boy’s natural abilities.He said Sooryavanshi possesses the talent seen in legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, though he still has to prove himself outside the T20 format.“If you talk about talent, yes, he is as good as Sachin (Tendulkar) or Virat Kohli and the talent can be seen in him for T20, (but) for other (formats), he will have to prove (himself),” Kapil said. The day he plays test cricket, can he play five overs maiden? He’s fantastic in his 20s, to make such an impact at such a young age, you won’t find one percent of people like that in the world.”
‘Don’t create so much hype’
Endorsing the youngster’s talent, Kapil advised everyone to give him time to grow.“I haven’t seen much of him, I’ve only seen a little. He’s got tremendous talent, no doubt about it,” Kapil said.“But (at the same time), I think we talk too much about him. He needs to be given some time right now. Don’t create so much (hype) around him, someone who is young doesn’t even have that much understanding…” he said.
Hard times will come
Kapil also reminded that every great batsman goes through difficult phases in his career.According to him, the real test for Sooryavanshi will be how he handles these challenges.“It’s not that his bad moment won’t come, tough times will come, how will he come out of it? There are only a few cricketers who have never had a bad moment, be it Sachin Tendulkar or Sunil Gavaskar or Vivian Richards,” he said.“All players have gone through tough times… and a cricketer of his calibre, (remains to be seen) how would he come out of it? He looks so talented and the new generation kids are just so confident,” he added.Sooryavanshi earned his place in the Indian team after a sensational IPL season and traveled with the team to Ireland and England.
