KARACHI: Zimbabwe’s T20I captain Sikandar Raza on Tuesday came out in support of 15-year-old India batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has come under fire after the start of his international career.
The batting sensation, who famously scored a 35-ball century for inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals during last year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), became the youngest ever to represent India at international level after making his T20I debut against England earlier this month.
However, Suryavanshi was unable to showcase his explosive batting skills in international cricket as he scored 14, 13 and 15 runs respectively in three outings for India before Sanju Samson replaced them in their line-up.
The left-arm opener has come under heavy criticism online, but veteran all-rounder Raza, who will lead Zimbabwe in the three-match T20I series against defending champions India, hailed Suriyawanshi as a very talented cricketer.
Sikandar Raza further asserted that if Suryavanshi is managed well, he can be a generational talent, citing his recent success for India under-19, who won the World Cup with the Men in Blue earlier this year.
“Vaibhav is a very talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old boy is playing international cricket, it is not fair to criticize him after two or three matches,” Raza told an Indian media outlet.
“I think Vaibhav has a lot of great senior cricketers around him and if he is managed well, I think Vaibhav can be a generational talent.
“To see what he has done in the last year, what he has done for the Indian under-19 team and at the same age he made his international debut, these are no small feats by any means.
“You don’t hear stories like this these days. Vaibhav is special. It’s how he’s managed and handled.”
It is noteworthy that Suryavanshi has also been included in the Indian team for the T20I series with Zimbabwe to be held in Harare from July 23 to 26.