Virender Sehwag Compares Young Cricket Star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to His Own Early Style

Former India opener Virender Sehwag says that 15-year-old batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shares his own fearless style of hitting the ball from the very first delivery. Speaking on Saturday at the annual session of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sehwag noted that the teenager's mindset matches how he used to approach the game. Sehwag stated that age is not important once a player reaches the IPL or the national team, pointing out that players like a 38 or 40-year-old Virat Kohli and a 15-year-old Sooryavanshi can play alongside each other where only performance counts. Sehwag finished his career with 17,253 international runs, while Sooryavanshi has scored 246 runs across eight T20 matches with a fast strike rate of 186.

Team Management and Development

Despite capturing cricket attention with big hitting in last year's IPL, the Indian team management is being careful with the young player. India bowling coach Morne Morkel stated that he likes to challenge Sooryavanshi in training whether he plays in the match or not, adding that simply being with the squad helps his growth. Sooryavanshi has not played yet in the ongoing West Indies series and stayed on the bench during the earlier T20 series against Afghanistan as Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the batting. He has still not played an international match on home soil in India.

Context

Young cricket talents in India often face a careful transition into international cricket as coaches manage their exposure to high-pressure environments. National teams regularly use senior mentors and rigorous training sessions to help teenage players adapt to the demands of top-level sport.