Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal heaped praise on India’s youngest batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and called him a ‘god-gifted talent’. Lal appeared in an interview with the Press Trust of India, where he talked about the RR prodigy, Sooryavanshi, who has sent the global cricketing community into a frenzy with his heroics. Several experts and pundits have lauded the youngster for his power-hitting abilities, while calling him the next big thing in Indian cricket. Among them is Lal, who said that Sooryavanshi is one of the rarest talents, but needs grooming for other formats.
Speaking to PTI, the former cricketer said, “T20 cricket for me is like, ‘fine, you’re doing well. You are talented.’ But, at the end of the day, it’s Test cricket. Ranking starts from Test cricket, One-Day cricket. So, all the youngsters need to step up to be able to play other formats also.” Talking about the 15-year-old, he said, “I also feel that he is extremely talented.” He added, “He is a god-gifted talent, and has such a mindset. Very few players including Kapil Dev, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Sunil Gavaskar have been granted what god has granted him.”
“However, Sooryavanshi needs to establish himself in Test cricket and 50-over cricket. T20 cricket, no problem. Talent, no problem. But the question that comes to mind is, how he should be groomed,” the 1983 World Cup winning team member added.
Let him find his own way- Madan Lal urges to not rush Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in other formats
Speaking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s need to establish himself in other formats, the former all-rounder said that sending the player to series such as the Ireland one is a good way to groom him. He added, “Let him find his own way.” However, the 75-year-old also asserted that the selection committee must not sideline other talented players for one name. Furthermore, he added that Sooryavanshi will learn a lot of things by being a part of the team.
He later added that while it might be tempting to include Sooryavanshi instead of others, it must be taken care of that the other players have proven themselves on the international platform. He went on to say that, while IPL is a big name and it is not easy to perform consistently as Sooryavanshi has done, it is still different from the international level.
