The buzz around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grow as India gear up to play England in the second T20I of the five-match series. The 15-year-old wonderkid was selected in India’s squad for the two-match series against Ireland, but he failed to get a spot in the playing XI. With the England series underway, fans are hopeful of Sooryavanshi getting his chance this time. India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, said that Sooryavanshi is as good as Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli when it comes to the T20 format. He, however, added that the teenager needs to prove his mettle in one-dayers and Tests.
Considering the talks around Sooryavanshi, Kapil Dev suggested that the player should not be hyped.
“I haven’t seen him play much. He is a huge talent, without any doubt. But I think we are talking too big about him. At the moment, give him some time. Don’t hype him so much. He is young at the moment and doesn’t have the age to understand everything,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.
“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 rest of the formats, he will have to prove himself,” he added.
Kapil Dev feels that India should hand Sooryavanshi a debut if the swashbuckling batter is ready to play.
“He is fabulous in T20s. You would not find even one per cent of players making such an impact at such a tender age. We can talk about Sachin because he too was very young when we played him. We kept thinking if it was too early, but if you look at history, you fear you might be too late. If he is ready, don’t count his age, count his ability,” the former India captain said.
The first T20I between India and England was washed out due to rain in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday. The teams will play the second match on Saturday.
