Young cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attracted attention for his immense potential and great performances as a young boy but the 15-year-old is not in India’s immediate Test plans, as per PTI. Sooryavanshi is currently outside the national selectors’ red-ball plan as he has continued his development in domestic cricket.
The report comes just days after former India head coach Rahul Dravid complimented Sooryavanshi as a future prospect and all-format player. Dravid stressed the importance of balance between white-ball opportunities and red-ball development for the young cricketers who are already in the Indian Premier League.
But despite his promise, Sooryavanshi has still a long way from being called up to the Indian Test team. The teenager has played only a few First-Class games and remains at an early stage of his red-ball career.
Hyderabad all-rounder Tilak Varma is also not part of India’s immediate Test plans, the report also states. The selectors are keen to take the more robust and consistent red-ball experience of the players to build the Test team for the future as India is in a position to do so.
Sooryavanshi has to be able to produce consistently in longer-form cricket now. He is already one of the most eagerly followed young Indian cricketers with talent and attacking ability, but playing Test cricket is about patience, consistency and long-term development.
Sooryavanshi has played ten First-Class matches so far and a few Under-19 red-ball matches. Although his experience is limited, he has shown some promising signs in his domestic performances.
His performance for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy against Central Zone was another sign of his potential. Sooryavanshi scored 92 and 40 in the match, proving he can also contribute in the longer format.
But selectors will expect sustained performances rather than one or two good innings. The transition from domestic cricket to international Test cricket is an important one and Sooryavanshi has to show that he can consistently perform against strong bowling attacks and challenging conditions.
The upcoming Duleep Trophy final against South Zone could be another important opportunity for the young batter. A strong performance in a high-profile domestic match would further strengthen his credentials and allow him to gain valuable experience against quality opposition.
Rahul Dravid recently mentioned that talented young players have to continue developing their red-ball skills even after they get recognized in white-ball cricket.
“I think you always have to find that balance,” Dravid said when discussing Sooryavanshi’s development.
Dravid said white-ball cricket in the IPL can offer valuable experience for young players, however, they should have the opportunity to return to domestic cricket and make their red-ball careers.
“It is great that Vaibhav is really getting the exposure of playing some white-ball cricket through IPL in India, but he is also having the time to go back and play red-ball cricket in the Indian domestic system and grow his red-ball career,” Dravid said.
The former India captain also stressed the need for keeping Test cricket, and having a good batch of young people develop in all formats of the game.
“All of us also want to see Tests survive, all of us want to see Tests grow and we need players like him to be able to hopefully play all formats of the game,” Dravid said.
One of the fundamental questions for Sooryavanshi will be his batting position. At present, he plays as an opener but his aggressive style might be used elsewhere in the batting order.
If he continues to be an opener, he could eventually become part of India’s long-term plans at the top of the order. One of the opportunities in the future could be to find successors for the great opening batters of India.
KL Rahul, who is already an established name in Indian cricket, is 34 years old. In the future, India may have to go for young players to fill the opening positions.
Sooryavanshi could potentially compete for such an opportunity if he continues developing and producing consistent performances in domestic red-ball cricket. An opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal is one possibility that could emerge, but such discussions remain speculative at this stage.
For now, the focus will be on development rather than immediate national selection for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. His performance in the Duleep Trophy and other domestic tournaments will be closely watched as he gains experience and learns the demands of First-Class cricket.
Sooryavanshi is 15 years old, so has quite a bit of time to develop his career. Although not currently in India’s Test scheme of things, he is still at a very young stage. It is consistent performances, patience and continued red-ball development that could take him to the national team.
So the domestic season could play a crucial role in determining how fast one of Indian cricket’s most exciting young talents takes his Test aspirations to the next level.
