‘He will do well once picked’ – Dilip Vengsarkar looking forward to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India debut after Ireland loss

While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was denied making his international debut against Ireland in the first T20I on Friday, June 26, the cricketing fraternity has been going gung-ho on why he was ignored by the Indian team management for a spot in the match where the team lost by 34 runs. Legendary India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar is also among those asking for a fair chance to be given to the 15-year-old.

The erstwhile India captain has shown an affirmative outlook on Sooryavanshi, stating that the latter will let his bat do all the talking when he steps onto the field in the Indian jersey. Vengsarkar added that the stroke-making abilities of the teenage sensation are beyond imagination. He also said that he has been an amazing example of modern-day T20 batting.

“I am sure he will get the opportunity, and once he gets it, he will grab it with both hands because he is a very good player. He is just unbelievable. He has tremendous potential. Some of the shots he plays are unreal. His batsmanship is completely different. He can clear the ground with his bat swing and hand-eye coordination. In T20 format, he has been amazing,”he said in an interview as quoted by NDTV Sports.

On being asked if Sooryavanshi is fit or prepared enough to succeed for the Indian team in one-day and Tests, Vengsarkar responded by saying that it might be a little premature to predict. However, he is certain that Sooryavanshi will do well once he is picked to play, regardless of the format.

“It’s very difficult to say because he is currently in the T20 format. I have not seen him play in a longer format. But I’m sure he will do well in that once picked. We will have to wait and see how he plays in the longer format, which is very important,” the former India batter opined.

Lastly, Vengsarkar also compared Sooryavanshi to a teenage Sachin Tendulkar, adding that the legendary cricketer was quite mature with his mindset even before being considered for the Indian team. 

“When I watched Sachin Tendulkar play, he looked mentally matured for his age. He did extremely well in inter-school tournaments in Mumbai, besides club cricket, where he scored consistently. He was mentally prepared to play a higher level of cricket, (so) that is how we picked him. He was so disciplined, passionate, and focused, and that is a great example for the youngsters like Vaibhav to emulate,” he said.

With the second T20I being a must-win game for the Indian team, it will be interesting to see if Sooryavanshi is handed his debut cap for the second T20I against Ireland, which will be played in Belfast on Sunday, June 28.