Kapil Dev has no doubt about the unique talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi possesses, but at the same time, India’s first-ever World Cup-winning captain has urged patience before jumping the gun. Kapil heaped praise on Sooryavanshi, comparing him to some of the greatest legends in Indian cricket. Then again, he hasn’t forgotten that the youngster is just 15, with his entire life and career ahead of him.
At a time when most 15-year-olds are preparing for their board exams, Sooryavanshi is touring England with the senior Indian men’s cricket team. While that is an achievement in itself for someone who began playing top-flight cricket only last year, Kapil believes the teenager’s innocence should not be lost amid the growing hype. As bright as Sooryavanshi’s future looks, Kapil feels the chatter should be kept in check until he proves himself in Test cricket.
“I haven’t seen much of him, but I have seen a little. He is a huge talent, without any doubt. But I think we are talking too big too soon about him. Give him a little time. Don’t build him up so much that he doesn’t even get the chance to understand himself at such a young age. He is still discovering himself,” Kapil said in a podcast on Sports Tak.
“If you talk about talent, then yes, he is as talented as Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli. You can see immense talent in him. But in T20 cricket. The day he plays Test cricket, can he play out five maidens? Sehwag won’t think like that, but that’s how people in cricket think. In T20 cricket, though, I think he is fabulous. At such a young age, you won’t find even one percent of players like him.”
Should Sooryavanshi play for India right away?
The entire cricketing world awaits Sooryavanshi’s international debut with bated breath. Although he was picked for the Ireland and England tours, Sooryavanshi has yet to feature in India’s Playing XI. Going by the team management’s approach, that is unlikely to change unless the series is either clinched or, in the worst case, lost. India have already suffered a setback against Ireland and will need to be at their best against hosts England if they are to salvage the remaining four matches. But Kapil reckons if the youngster has the confidence and the talent, India should not hesitate to play him.
“There are two things. We talk about Sachin because he was also this age when he started playing. At that time, we all thought it wouldn’t happen so soon. But if you look at history, you will realise that sometimes you shouldn’t be late. When a player is on the rise, let him play. When he is going up, let him play. I think if he is ready, don’t count his age. Don’t count his age,” mentioned Kapil.
“Count his ability. If you believe he has the ability to play, then definitely let him play. It’s not as if he won’t go through a bad patch. It will be difficult. The question is, how will he come out of that bad patch? There are very few cricketers who have never gone through one, whether it is Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar or Viv Richards.”
Kapil’s biggest challenge for Vaibhav
Lastly, Kapil raised a legitimate point about Sooryavanshi’s biggest challenge: how he gets back on his feet after enduring a rough patch. Sooryavanshi has not experienced one yet in his young career, but at some point, that time will come. And when it does, Kapil will be keen to see how the teenager puts it behind him and bounces back.
“Every player goes through a rough phase. The real test is how a talented cricketer of his calibre comes out of that rough period. At the moment, we aren’t even talking about him having a bad patch. He looks so talented that the thought doesn’t even cross our minds. The new generation of youngsters has a lot of confidence in itself,” he said.