With the Indian team including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reaching Ireland for the upcoming T20 series against the hosts starting Friday, all the spotlight has been on the 15-year-old batting prodigy. The Bihar cricketer, who was selected for the Indian T20 team for the Ireland and England Tour as well India’s Asian Games squad, is expected to break Sachin Tendulkar’s long-held record of being the youngest to play for India at the age of 16 years and 205 days, with his debut for India during the tour. 1983 World Cup winning Indian captain and all-rounder Kapil Dev, who was player of the match in the game in which Tendulkar had made his debut in 1989, has lauded Sooryavanshi but said that he is still too young and it may be too early to make a well-rounded assessment of him.
“Vaibhav is too young. But yes he is a special talent and full stop. He is a 16-year-old kid and everything he has is only cricket. Once he reaches 20-22, we will judge. But no doubt his talent is extraordinary. He is like Sachin at the age of 16 but can he play that long? He had to go a long way,” said Dev while speaking with The Indian Express on Tuesday in Panchkula during the Chandigarh Premier League.
Former Indian captain Kapil Dev. (FILE IMAGE)
Sooryavanshi, who had become the youngest cricketer to score a hundred in IPL last year, had smashed a record 175 runs to guide India to victory in final of the U-19 World Cup this year. He then amassed 776 runs in 16 innings this IPL at a strike rate of 237.30 for Rajasthan Royals. The youngster also became the first uncapped player ever to score 700 runs in a single IPL season apart from becoming the first player in T20 history to score 500 powerplay runs in a single edition of a tournament. He was also the Most Valuable Player this IPL and also picked up the emerging player award and the Orange Cap. Earlier this month, Sooryavanshi had scored the fastest half-century in a 50-over match with his 11-ball fifty during his 94 runs against Sri Lanka A in the A tri-series in Sri Lanka. When asked about any message to Sooryavanshi for the upcoming tour, Dev shared that his message for win is for the whole Indian team. “I should say good luck to the Indian team. It’s not just to him but to the whole Indian team and every player. And he is part of that,” added Dev.
On Tuesday, Sooryavanshi was unveiled in the Indian jersey for the first time in a video shared by BCCI.“Words cannot explain it. The reason I picked up the bat from day one and went to the ground for practice, that dream has now been fulfilled. The biggest step in that journey was completed today. I truly cannot put this feeling into words,” Sooryavanshi had told BCCI in the video.
Earlier, when Sooryavanshi was selected in the Indian team, Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar had spoken about the special talent. “We’ve seen what he can do, almost single-handedly carrying Rajasthan Royals towards the play-offs. He had a great start and backed it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure. He’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes of him. He has picked himself,” Agarkar had said.
