Ravi Shastri backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for early India debut

Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during a warm-up session. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could make his senior India debut as early as next month, with the former coach urging selectors to fast-track the Rajasthan Royals opener into the national T20 setup. Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri said the youngster has already done enough to earn an opportunity, suggesting the upcoming Ireland tour in June as the perfect stage for his introduction to senior cricket. “The door would be three-fourths open,” Shastri said. “If you want to encourage or get someone young into the setup as quickly as possible, then it’s the T20 format. He is not short by any margin.”

Shastri wants selectors to move quickly The former coach was emphatic that Sooryavanshi’s age should not be a barrier. “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 said. He added that the teenager could already slot into multiple international sides. “This guy can walk into a lot of sides in world cricket at this current moment. Just look at the exuberance of youth, and that youth shows on his face.” Sooryavanshi’s rise has been rapid. Fresh from helping India win the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, the left-hander has exploded in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, smashing 440 runs in 11 innings at a staggering strike rate of 236.56.

India A call-up adds momentum His season includes a breathtaking 36-ball century against Sunrisers Hyderabad and two fifties, along with a tournament-leading 40 sixes. Shastri said the selectors should act immediately. “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,” he said. That possibility appears to be moving closer. Sooryavanshi has earned an India A call-up for the June tri-series in Sri Lanka involving Afghanistan. A strong showing there could make Shastri’s prediction a reality.