Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slammed his maiden international half-century in the first T20I against Zimbabwe.
Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth lashed out at the Indian team management for dropping 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the playing XI after just three failures in the previous T20I series against England.
Srikkanth’s explosive comments came right after Sooryavanshi silenced his critics by blasting his maiden international half-century off just 18 balls against Zimbabwe in the first T20I at Harare Sports Club on Thursday (July 23).
Sooryavanshi’s knock powered India to a thumping seven-wicket victory, helping the Men in Blue break a six-match losing streak in T20Is.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth highlighted the teenager’s effortless range of straight-bat shots, calling him a very special talent.
He also praised Sooryavanshi for skipping a trip home after the England series to train at the Rajasthan Royals camp against short-pitched bowling.
"He has an effortless range of shots, yet, not one shot was cross-batted. This boy is really something special. How did Gautam Gambhir foolishly drop him, of all people, after three failures to crush his confidence? I salute Vaibhav for his dedication. After the England series, he didn't go home and instead went straight to the Rajasthan Royals camp. He has been working on his batting against the short ball because he wants to prove to the whole world that he is special," Srikkanth said.
"The ease at which he scores at a 250 strike rate is extraordinary. Normally, after three failures, other players would have tried to safeguard their place in the Indian team by taking singles and twos. But he played fearlessly without worrying about the consequences. Scoring a 50 off 18 balls has become child's play for him. That's his greatness," he added.
Srikkanth further claimed that no batter in world cricket has or can consistently score big at such a brisk pace.
"He is guaranteed a century in T20s every time he plays just 35 balls. Where will you find a match-winner like this anywhere in the world? Nobody in the world has or can play like this. He demolished the Zimbabwean attack inside the powerplay itself. Had he got out early, you never know what might have been the outcome of the game despite Zimbabwe's low total. That's the importance of Sooryavanshi’s knock," the former BCCI chief selector remarked.
Srikkanth called for Sooryvanshi to be given a longer rope and backed him to play all three formats for India in the near future.
"He must be guaranteed 10 straight matches without being dropped. He will win four or five matches on his own singlehandedly against anybody. With time, he'll correct himself and do wonders. And it's not just T20 cricket. He must be one of the candidates for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Even for Test cricket, I'll not write him off," concluded Srikkanth.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be in action next when India face Zimbabwe in the second T20I in Harare on Saturday (July 25).