NEW DELHI: Excitement around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to build as India prepare to take on 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 the Indian 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 call for his inclusion, India’s 1983 World Cup captain. Kapil Dev urged everyone not to put too much pressure on the young man.“I haven’t seen him play much. He’s a great talent, no doubt. But I think we’re talking too much about him. Give him some time right now. Don’t praise him so much. He’s young right now and not old enough to understand everything,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.
‘Talented 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 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. So much talent is visible in him, but only in T20 cricket. He will have to prove himself in other formats,” he added.
“Don’t count his age, count his abilities”
Kapil also backed the youngster to make his India debut if the team management believes he is ready.Drawing parallels with Sachin Tendulkar’s early international debut, the former India captain said ability should matter more than age.“He’s fantastic in T20s. You wouldn’t find even one per cent of players who make that kind of impact at such a tender age. We can talk about Sachin because he was too young when we played him. We kept thinking if it was too early, but if you look at history, you fear it might be too late. “If he is fit, 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 to the playoffs. His performances earned him a place in the Indian 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.Ahead of both matches, fans and former cricketers debated whether India should give him a debut. Those calls grew louder after India suffered a shock 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 was benched in the rain-affected first T20I at Chester-le-Street, which ended scoreless after persistent rain.
All eyes are on Manchester
With the series still level after the washout, attention now turns to the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.Whether India will finally hand Sooryavanshi his long-awaited debut remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Saturday’s clash.
