Sooryavanshi ready for India call-up, say former greats

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made everyone sit up and take notice of his breathtaking hitting abilities this IPL season. In smashing 776 runs from 16 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 237.31 for Rajasthan Royals (RR), who finished their campaign in the Qualifier 2 stage and just missed out on the final, the 15-year-old fearless prodigy has given a lot of joy to his teammates, fans and experts, but not so much to opposition bowlers who have been left scratching their heads in frustration on where to bowl to the dashing left-hander.

Such has been his impact this season, where he has scored one century and just missed out on three others, that, of the 776 runs he has made, 684 have come in sixes (72) and boundaries (63). Ahead of the final, he is the proud owner of the Orange Cap for being the highest run-getter even though he will have to watch from home the IPL decider between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans (GT), the team that beat RR.

His prodigious talent has everyone talking about his prospects and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t one to be left behind in singing praises of the next big thing in Indian cricket. Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Tendulkar said that watching Sooryavanshi bat with such great skills was truly fascinating. "Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat – it was magnificent. I mean, he is something truly special. And not just the ability to hit the ball, but what also fascinated me was the wrist work that he has," Tendulkar said at the Cricinfo Honours, where he was named the 'Best Men's International Batter of the 21st Century,

"To be able to play in all directions of the ground, you need good wrist work. And he is not slogging the ball. He is just picking the line and length earlier than the rest of the guys, and he is able to clear the rope comfortably," he added.

Tendulkar also hoped that Sooryavanshi would eventually play Test cricket for India, but also urged fans and experts to not put pressure or expectations on the exciting talent. "Not just me, but everyone would want to see him (playing Test cricket) at some stage. I don't know when that is going to happen. But an exciting talent needs encouragement. And if he's doing well, then we need to encourage and support him and enjoy above all and not put pressure on him constantly, you know, he should play this, or he shouldn't be doing this, or he should be picked in whatever squad. Leave that to the guys (selectors) who are responsible for that," he said.

GT's Kagiso Rabada, the current Purple Cap holder with 28 wickets, said of the boy wonder on JioHotstar: "He just keeps amazing everyone who watches the game. He's got such fast hands, and he picks length quickly. He's got so much energy. When you're young, you have so much energy and no fear, and that's exactly what he's shown, no fear and just a natural instinct for the game that allows him to perform the way he is performing. At this stage, you throw age out of the window; it doesn't matter how old he is. It's amazing what he's doing."

Speaking about Sooryavanshi's knock of 96 in Qualifier 2, Rajasthan Royals' Director of Cricket and Head Coach, Kumar Sangakkara said: "I thought he batted brilliantly. It was a much tougher batting innings with wickets falling around him, and he held his nerve and really got us to a defendable total. Vaibhav is 15 years old, but he's very mature. He reads the game really well, he reads situations well, and he's got no fear."

He further added, "I think we are very, very proud of the season that he's had, and we just want to make sure that he keeps going, keeps that intent, keeps that no-fear attitude and keeps growing. I think he's going to be even better as the years go by."

Like Tendulkar, former India bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan also backed Sooryavanshi for an India call-up.

Speaking on Star Sports' 'Amul Cricket Live', Pathan said the batting whiz kid is ready for international cricket after proving himself against top-quality bowlers in the IPL.

Pathan highlighted his success against world-class names such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Siraj in the IPL. "Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready to play for India. He has proven his doubters wrong by performing consistently against the best bowlers in the IPL. He has faced and scored runs for fun against Pat Cummins, a World Cup-winning captain. He has taken international bowlers like Eshan Malinga, Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Siraj to the cleaners. These are not just names; these are world-class bowlers who have troubled top batters globally. He has passed the test in the best T20 cricket league," Pathan said.