The excitement around the 15-year-old left-handed batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grow ahead of India’s second T20I against England, with cricket legend Kapil Dev saying that the young batsman has talent comparable to Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli—at least in the shortest format of the game.
Sooryavanshi, regarded as one of Indian cricket’s brightest emerging talents, was in India’s squad for the recent T20 series against Ireland but didn’t make the playing XI. With the opening T20I against England being washed out due to rain in Chester-le-Street, fans are eagerly hoping the teenager will finally make his international debut in the second match of the five-game series.
Kapil Dev, speaking to Sports Tak, said Sooryavanshi has great potential but warned against over-reliance on expectations of a young player who is still in the early stages of his career.
"I haven’t seen him play much. He is a huge talent, without any doubt. But I think we are talking too big about him. He has a long way to go. Give him some time. Don’t hype him so much. He is young at the moment and doesn't have the age to understand everything," Kapil Dev said.
The former India captain made a striking comparison with the youngster’s natural ability.
"If you talk about talent, yes, he is as good as Sachin and Virat Kohli. This much talent is visible in him, but only in T20 cricket. In the rest of the formats, he will have to prove himself," he said.
Kapil feels that Sooryavanshi has already shown great stroke-making and confidence in T20 cricket but success in One-Day Internationals and Test cricket will ultimately determine whether he can make it to the greats of the game.
Kapil said selectors should select talent over age if they believe the youngster is ready for the challenge and made an analogy with Sachin Tendulkar’s first international debut.
"He is fabulous in T20s. You would not find even one per cent of players making such an impact at such a tender age. We can talk about Sachin because he too was very young when we played him. We kept thinking if it was too early, but if you look at history, you fear you might be too late. If he is ready, don't count his age, count his ability," Kapil said.
Sooryavanshi has been so fast to his feet as a cricket player, so he has been repeatedly in the news for his fearless batting, clean hitting and maturity beyond his age, prompting widespread calls for him to be given an opportunity at the international level.
India's opening T20I against England was abandoned without a result as rain kept coming. The washout has revived hopes for the second T20I, where team management may be tempted to give Sooryavanshi his much-awaited debut.
Whether the young player is given an opportunity remains to be seen, but Kapil Dev's support has only highlighted the great potential that many believe Sooryavanshi possesses. At the same time, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain’s message was crystal clear—the teenager has talent, but patience and expectations should be kept in check as he gets started on what could be his long-term international career.
