Former India cricketer R. Ashwin has slammed critics of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for slamming the young batter for getting involved in the fight with Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage during their match against India A in the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka.
Sooryavanshi was also observed pushing an opposing player during the altercation, which prompted several social media users to criticize and harass the 15-year-old for his actions. But renowned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has steadfastly stood up for Sooryavanshi.
He took out his frustration on Sri Lanka's bowlers in the final, scoring an 11-ball fifty en route to a 29-ball 94-run knock.
"How can you hate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? I've heard a lot of people saying that the kid needs to show maturity while speaking to other players. Do we forget that we were kids, too, at one point? Do we forget that there are kids in our families too?" Ashwin said, speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat.'
In response to a question about whether people anticipate Sooryavanshi to exhibit the composure displayed by renowned batsman Sachin Tendulkar at an early age, Ashwin noted that Sooryavanshi is currently under even more scrutiny than Tendulkar was.
"During Sachin Tendulkar's era, who followed India A so closely, with cameras? Was there IPL during that time? Did Sri Lankan players of that era know and watch so much about Sachin Tendulkar (before facing him)? This is a trend-breaking, trend-setting occurrence," Ashwin stated.
Ashwin went on to explain that judging any dispute on the cricket pitch is the responsibility of the umpires and the match referee. He advised against making snap judgments.
"I'm not talking about the Sri Lankan or Indian players. All I'm saying is that we need to understand that such incidents happen in sport. The match referee and umpires are there in case the behavior gets out of hand.
"We can have a remark about whether it's right or wrong, but this is taking it beyond that. From afar, we don't know what was said or how he reacted. We are being told, 'The kid should've been respectful.' But this happens; it's a sport where you're putting your emotions and body on the line. How can we hate him? This is a very dangerous trend," he explained.
The 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be in line to make his India debut in the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England.
