"This guy can walk into a lot of sides in world cricket": Ravi Shastri pushes for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India debut
New Delhi, May 17
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket and has urged selectors to fast-track him into the national T20 setup.
Fresh from starring in India's victorious ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year, Sooryavanshi has taken the IPL by storm with the Rajasthan Royals.
The left-handed opener has scored 440 runs in 11 innings at a blistering strike rate of 236.56 and an average of 40, including a stunning 36-ball century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and two more half-centuries. He has hit 40 sixes and 38 fours in this IPL season.
His aggressive batting and fearless approach have impressed Shastri, who feels the 15-year-old could make his senior India debut as early as next month during the tour of Ireland.
"The door would be three-fourths open," Shastri told The ICC Review.
"I can tell you that, for sure, because if you want to encourage or get someone young and into the setup as quickly as possible, then it's the T20 format of the game, and he is not short by any margin. This guy can walk into a lot of sides in world cricket at the current moment in time. Just when you look at the exuberance of youth and that youth shows on his face," Shastri added.
Shastri said Sooryavanshi's age should not become a talking point, given the maturity he has shown against seasoned bowlers in the IPL.
Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut as a 14-year-old last year with the Rajasthan Royals and made 252 runs in seven matches. During his third IPL game, he also struck the second-fastest IPL century, coming in just 35 balls.
"A lot of people will ask, is he 15, is he 16, is he 14? I don't care. I just see the way he is batting at the moment and the way he's taking on all comers twice his age or maybe two and a half times his age. It doesn't matter to him," Shastri told the ICC.
"So I think he's very, very much in the reckoning. And when you have tours of Ireland and all this happening now, I would be looking into him straight away," Shastri concluded.
Sooryavanshi's push towards a senior India call-up gained further momentum after he earned his maiden India A selection on May 14. He is set to tour Sri Lanka in June for a tri-series involving Afghanistan, with strong performances likely to strengthen his case for a national cap in the near future.
— ANI
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