The hype around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is just crazy. At a time when some of the biggest names in cricket, like legendary Sunil Gavaskar, want the 15-year-old to be drafted straightaway into the Indian playing XI in England, the Indian think-tank isn’t of a view to easily displace the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, despite the fact that Sooryavanshi has been knocking the doors lately.
Picked in the Indian senior squad for the first time after his magnificent Indian Premier League (IPL), where he accumulated 776 runs at a strike rate more than 200 and won the Orange Cap, Sooryavanshi has warmed the bench in three matches so far – two against Ireland and one against England. For the unknown, India lost 0-2 to Ireland in T20Is last month.
After the first T20I against England was washed out in Durham, the Indian team is gearing up for the second game of the series in Manchester. Certainly, the Sooryavanshi question once again cropped up at the pre-match press conference, addressed by India bowling coach Morne Morkel.
“I think we just need to respect the fact that we’ve got the number one batter, or we had our number one batter in T20 cricket, Abhishek Sharma. You know, Sanju was the player of the World Cup,” Morkel told reporters on Friday. “He (Samson) had a great IPL.
“So, I think as a coaching staff, it’s only fair to show faith and back your players. Yes, there’s a young man knocking on the door and it’s exciting. But I reckon for not just those two players at the top, but for the rest of the group, it’s a good sign that we show that we back you guys,” he added.
‘It’s not straightforward’ – Morne Morkel
According to the former South African pacer, the Indian think-tank also doesn’t want to shift the players, at least in the top three, to move out of their positions. “In a day, it’s about putting performances on the board. That is the key. But we also don’t want to think too much and bat other players out of positions. It’s not straightforward, Ok, let’s play (Sooryavanshi).
“It’s a matter of backing some of the guys who’ve won World Cups, who’ve done really well for you in tough situations, and then also from there, build and see how we can structure and make our top order as good as possible in these conditions,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi has gelled well his seniors and settled well in the team. “The way the guys have welcomed him has been fantastic. At the international stage as a 15-year-old, it can be intimidating. But in the couple of net sessions we’ve had, he’s been very impressive.
“We’re all excited to see how he goes, and when he gets an opportunity, I’m pretty sure he’ll be ready. In terms of coming into the squad and fitting in, it’s been very smooth,” added Morkel. While Abhishek has made one half century and a 49 in his last three innings during the ongoing UK tour, Samson has been disappointing with scores of 5, 0, 1.
However, the India are likely to play with an unchanged side considering the first game was washed out. That means, Sooryavanshi will have to wait further for his maiden India cap unless there is an injury among the top three at the very last minute. Batting first, India rode on fifties from Abhishek and captain Shreyas Iyer to post 189/7 in 20 overs, Shivam Dube contributed with an unbeaten 42 towards the end.