Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya believes India should allow Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play his natural game rather than burden the young batter with expectations. Calling the 15-year-old a good investment for the future of Indian cricket, Jayasuriya said nurturing his talent and giving him the freedom to express himself would be important for his development.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the jersey launch of the Indian Softball Cricket League teams Mumbai Royals and Maharashtra Super Strikers, Jayasuriya said Sooryavanshi had a long way to go but showed plenty of promise. His message was simple: let him play his natural game, let him do his work, and it will prove a good investment for Indian cricket.
Sooryavanshi has attracted considerable attention with his aggressive batting, and Jayasuriya believes India has a promising young talent on its hands. The former Sri Lanka opener stressed that the focus should be on allowing him to develop without interfering with his natural approach, a familiar warning in Indian cricket, where teenage prodigies often carry heavy expectations early.
Jayasuriya impressed with Abhishek Sharma
Jayasuriya also praised India's batting talent and singled out Abhishek Sharma for his all-round ability with the bat. The former Sri Lanka captain said the left-hander's biggest strength was his ability to score runs all around the ground, and that he was playing good cricket at the moment.
He said there were quite a few Indian players doing well, talented players who worked hard and were playing well, and described Abhishek as an all-round player who could play in any part of the park. That versatility, Jayasuriya suggested, was what made him such a valuable part of India's current batting group.
Sri Lanka look forward to India tour
The former Sri Lanka captain also expressed confidence in his team's preparations ahead of their white-ball tour of India in December. Sri Lanka are set to face Pakistan in the final of the ongoing tri-series, which also features England, and Jayasuriya believes the team's performances in the competition have provided a timely confidence boost.
He said it was good confidence for the Sri Lankan team doing well before coming to India, with confidence high and the team playing well, and he hoped they would do well in India too. Sri Lanka recently produced a remarkable performance in ODI cricket, successfully chasing a target of 430 runs against England to register the second-highest successful run chase in the format's history.
Jayasuriya welcomed the increasing dominance of batters in white-ball cricket, saying the ability of teams to chase down massive totals had made the game more exciting. He added that growing confidence among batting sides had also created challenges for bowlers, with teams increasingly willing to chase big targets, and pointed to changes in playing conditions and regulations as factors behind the evolving nature of white-ball cricket.
