NEW DELHI: The excitement around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grow as India prepare to face England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford on Saturday.The 15-year-old batting sensation has been included in the Indian squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England after a torrid season in the IPL. However, he is still waiting for his international debut. While fans and pundits continue to call for his inclusion, the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian captain Kapil Dev: urges everyone not to put too much pressure on the child.“I have not seen him play so much. He is a great talent, without any doubt. But I think we talked a lot about him. For now, give him time. Don’t hype him too much. He is still young and not old enough to understand everything,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.
‘As talented as Sachin and Virat’
Kapil believes that Sooryavanshi has exceptional talent and even compared him to two of India’s greatest batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and: Virat Kohli:.However, he said the youngster has yet to prove himself in the higher formats of the game.“If you talk about talent, yes, he is as good as Sachin (Tendulkar) and Virat Kohli. This much talent is visible in him, but only in T20 cricket. In the remaining formats, he has to prove himself,” he added.
“Don’t count his age, count his ability”
Kapil has also backed the youngster for an India debut if the team management believes he is ready.Similar to Sachin Tendulkar’s first international debut, the former India captain said ability should trump age.“He was exceptional in T20s. You don’t find even one percent of players who make such an impact at such a young age. We can say that about Sachin because he was very young when we played him. We kept thinking if it was too early, but if you look at history, you fear it might be too late. If he is ready, don’t count on his age, count on his ability,” said the former India captain.Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.30, almost single-handedly taking Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs. His performances earned him a place in the Indian squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games.Despite being selected, Sooryavanshi did not feature in either of the two T20Is against Ireland.Before the two matches, fans and former cricketers debated whether India should be given his debut. Those calls became louder after India suffered a shock 2-0 series defeat, with the top order struggling in both matches.The demand for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion also continued in the England series.However, the 15-year-old remained on the bench in the rain-hit first T20I at Chester-le-Street, which ended in no result after continuous rain.
All eyes on Manchester
With the series still level after the washout, attention has shifted to the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.Whether India will finally give Sooryavanshi his much-anticipated debut remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Saturday’s clash.