Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has drawn comparisons between teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a young Sachin Tendulkar, saying the youngster’s maturity, audacity, and fearless approach remind him of the batting legend during India’s 1989 tour of Pakistan.
Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the recently concluded IPL season, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 776 runs in 16 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 237.30. At just 15 years old, he impressed cricket fans and experts alike with his fearless batting against some of the world’s top bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada, and Pat Cummins.
“He is a one in a million generational talent. Can you imagine the maturity and audacity of this boy? He reminds me of 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar. I saw Sachin and that game maturity and audacity to take the bull by the horns (during the 1989 tour of Pakistan). God has blessed him with X factor along with the game & power,” Wassan said as quoted by NDTV Sports.
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Wassan stressed that Sooryavanshi’s long-term success would depend on receiving the right guidance and being developed into a complete cricketer rather than being confined to the role of a T20 specialist. The former Delhi captain cautioned against placing excessive expectations on the teenager or expecting him to achieve record-breaking milestones at such an early stage of his career.
“The only thing that bothers me is that he is being mentored enough to aspire for the Test cap? He is the king of this format (T20). He has got the game. But does he have more talent than just hitting sixes?,” Wassan said.
“It will be unfair to put the burden of breaking records. He should not be thinking or made to think about the records. He should aspire to become complete players like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli. They took their game to a higher and higher level with longevity. There will be a time when you have to change your game,” he added.
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Drawing a comparison with former West Indies batting great Chris Gayle, Wassan noted that even one of the most destructive T20 players of all time earned greater respect and recognition after proving himself in the longest format of the game. The former cricketer also expressed confidence in Sooryavanshi’s readiness for the international stage, stating that the youngster is already match-ready for Team India.
“‘Test’ is the real test. A player gets respect from Test cricket only. You could hit those sixes as the grounds were a bit short. But when there will be three slips, no restrictions on bouncers, big grounds and tough conditions, if you do well there, you earn respect before the eyes of your contemporaries,” said Wassan.
“Sooryavanshi has shown that he is ready to play international cricket. He has taken all the bowlers in the world apart. He just walks in the Indian team. Where will ayou fit him is the job of the coach! In T20, one, two and three are all openers for me so it doesn’t matter, ” he added.
