Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has cautioned the Indian team management that the longer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waits for his Men in Blue debut, the more pressure he might be under. This came after the 15-year-old’s wait for his senior India debut continued, as he was benched for the first T20I between England and India in Durham on July 1.
Indian team management has maintained to support its World Cup-winning top order of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. However, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that postponing the teenager's debut will simply put more pressure on him when he does get the opportunity.
After a record-breaking IPL season, Sooryavanshi received his first call-up for India, although he was benched for both T20Is against Ireland. Gavaskar stated that the more time passes until the young player makes his India debut, the higher the expectations will be.
"It will put him (Sooryavanshi) under more pressure whenever he gets an opportunity. But at 15 years of age, you don't think too much about pressure. He knows that if he gets the opportunity in the second or third game, he will have to deliver almost immediately. That's there,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
But according to Gavaskar, Sooryavanshi's age might work to his advantage, as the adolescent would be taking full advantage of the chance to pick the brains of some of the top players in the nation.
"But he is happy to be around. This Indian team is full of lovely, tremendous players, and it is just fantastic for him to be learning from them," Gavaskar added.
India had opted to bat first after captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss in first T20I against England. The opposition reduced India to 6/2, but then Abhishek Sharma (59) and Shreyas Iyer (68) added 82 runs for the third wicket. Abhishek became the fastest batter to reach 100 sixes in T20 internationals, achieving the milestone in just 785 deliveries.
Shivam Dube provided the late flourish with 42* in 21 balls as India posted 189/7 in 20 overs. However, England never got the chance to begin their chase as rains led to the T20I being abandoned.
The second T20I will be played in Manchester on July 4.
