‘Don’t judge him yet…’: Sikandar Raza breaks silence on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s critics

India’s young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to return to familiar conditions in Harare as India prepare for the T20I series against Zimbabwe. While his first taste of international cricket in England did not go as planned, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza believes the 15-year-old has the talent to achieve something special if he is guided in the right way.

Sikandar Raza urges patience with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav made his India debut during the T20I series against England but found the transition to international cricket challenging. The left-handed opener scored 14, 13 and 15 in his three innings as India lost the series 4-0. He was dismissed twice by Jofra Archer’s short-ball strategy.

Despite those early struggles, Raza believes it is far too soon to judge the youngster.

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“Vaibhav is a very talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old is playing international cricket, then it is not right to criticise him after just two or three matches.”

He also stressed that India’s experienced dressing room could play a major role in shaping the teenager’s future.

“I think Vaibhav has a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is handled well, I think Vaibhav can become a once-in-a-generation talent.”

Harare brings back special memories

The Zimbabwe series will take Vaibhav back to Harare, where he enjoyed one of the finest knocks of his young career earlier this year.

During the Under-19 World Cup final in January, the left-hander smashed a match-winning 175 off just 80 balls against England, announcing himself as one of India’s brightest young prospects.

With Sanju Samson unavailable for the upcoming series, Vaibhav is expected to get another opportunity at the top of the order.

Raza calls Vaibhav’s rise remarkable

The Zimbabwe skipper praised the teenager’s rapid rise through the ranks, saying very few players achieve so much at such a young age.

“What he did for India Under-19 last year and then making his international debut at this age are not small achievements by any means. You don’t hear such stories these days. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is handled.”

Also Read: ‘What wrong did Vaibhav do?’ Former India cricketer tears into Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer

Zimbabwe captain expects closely fought series

Although India enter the series as the reigning T20 World Cup champions, Raza refused to label his side as underdogs.

India have struggled in recent T20I assignments, losing both matches against Ireland before suffering a 4-0 series defeat to England, with one game washed out.

Raza believes both teams have an equal chance of winning the three-match series.

“Both countries have equal chances in this series. We have complete faith in our team. Our side has been performing consistently well, so I can confidently say this will be a very exciting series.”

Zimbabwe will also look to take confidence from their recent performances which include wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and a 23-run win over Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo earlier this year.

The series is expected to be another big opportunity for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to showcase his talent on the international stage with both teams looking to build on their positive momentum.