L Sivaramakrishnan urges Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer not to rest 15-year-old debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Former India leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan has advised the team management against resting 15-year-old debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, calling him a "20-year investment" who should be fast-tracked into the white-ball setups ahead of next year's World Cup

New Delhi: At 15, a talent like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should play right through the year without being rested as it would help him to make mistakes, learn from it while gaining invaluable experience in all conditions, former India spinner L Sivaramakrishnan said on Sunday.

Sooryavanshi, at 15 years and 99 days became the youngest Indian to make his international debut against England in second T20 International in Manchester on Saturday.

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Sivaramakrishnan, who himself made his Test debut at the age of 17 against West Indies in 1983, knows a thing or two about being thrown in at the deep end of the pool.

“He should be given a fair amount of chances with white ball cricket and see how he performs. He should continue. I mean, there’s no point in blooding a youngster and giving him a break or resting him. He doesn’t need rest. He can keep playing right throughout the year,” Shivramakrishnan told PTI in an interaction.

“Especially as a batter, he doesn’t need a bowler’s fitness. And batting for long periods of time will also give him that concentration, the mental work that he can do for long periods of time,” the former Tamil Nadu leg-break bowler observed.

While Sooryavanshi made 14 off 10 balls including two sixes in his maiden game, Sivaramakrishnan urged Indian team management to not think of resting him from now on.

“Once you decide to play him, you have got to give him ample opportunities. Remember, he is an investment for the next 20 years. I think what Vaibhav needs now is a lot of support from the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and the captain (Shreyas Iyer) and the rest of the players. Even if he does not do well in a few games, he should be backed. He should be continued.”

He feels that a compulsive stroke player like Sooryavanshi will play the high risk-high reward game and also make a few mistakes along the way.

“I would like to see him guided and supported properly. He is the kind of stroke player, there might be a few risks that he takes. But the modern day cricket is all about risk taking. So, he should not be told to curb his natural instincts and how he approaches the game.”

Shivramakrishnan urged Vaibhav to start thinking about what bowlers plan against him.

“Well, he’s a wonderful stroke player. We all know that against fast bowling, we’ll have to wait and see how he tackles the spinners because in the very first over (in the 2nd T20 match against England in Manchester), it was a nothing delivery and he stepped out and looked to heave.

“He must also start thinking about what the bowler is going to do since he’s got so much exposure.”

Sivaramakrishnan doesn’t want Sooryavanshi to be held back when he is on the offensive.

“You don’t need contributory 30s or 40s from him. He’s the kind of stroke player that we would not come across in a long time. Don’t hold him back. I’m very happy that somebody has played for India at the age of 15. And with T20 cricket being the most popular now, young players are starting to play a lot of shots and focus on T20.

“However, I’d like to see at what age he makes his Test debut. Because at the age of 15, 16, or 17, you’re kind of fearless,” he observed.

He felt that the prodigious talent should be played in the ODI format and could be seen as a potential top order batsman for the next year’s World Cup.

“He sure should get a chance at the upcoming 50 overs World Cup if he does exceedingly well in the T20 format. He should get an opportunity because he’s going to be a match winner.

“When he scores runs, he’s going to be a match-winner in all formats of white-ball cricket,” he signed off, wishing Vaibhav a great future ahead.