Atul Wassan sees shades of young Tendulkar in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Former India pacer Atul Wassan sees shades of a young Sachin Tendulkar in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the teenager’s maturity, audacity and fearless approach remind him of the batting great’s early days during India’s 1989 tour of Pakistan.
Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the recently concluded IPL season, topping the batting charts with 776 runs from 16 innings at an impressive strike rate of 237.30. The 15-year-old impressed with his fearless performances against some of the world’s premier bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins.
He is a one in a million generational talent. Can you imagine the maturity and audacity of this boy? He reminds me of 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar.
“I saw Sachin and that game maturity and audacity to take the bull by the horns (during the 1989 tour of Pakistan). God has blessed him with X factor along with the game & power,” Wassan told PTI in an exclusive chat on Tuesday.
A 16-year-old Tendulkar had made his international debut against a fiery Pakistan bowling attack that included Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir and Imran Khan in 1989.
Tendulkar impressed everyone with his straight and on-drives. The grace and timing with which he struck those boundaries showed he was a star in the making.
“Though he has a long way to go. I hope everything falls into place just like it did for Sachin. The same God gifted X factor talent I see in Sooryavanshi.”
Wassan stressed that Sooryavanshi’s long-term development would depend on proper guidance and whether he is encouraged to become a “complete cricketer” rather than merely a T20 specialist.
“The only thing that bothers me is that is he being mentored enough to aspire for the Test cap? He is king of this format (T20). He has got the game. But does he have more talent than just hitting sixes?” Wassan said.
The former Delhi captain warned against burdening the teenager with expectations of record-breaking feats at such an early stage of his career. “It will be unfair to put the burden of breaking records. He should not be thinking or made to think about the records. He should aspire to become complete players like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.
“They took their game to a higher and higher level with longevity. There will be a time when you have to change your game.
“During challenging times, if he can go back to the basics and ethos of the game then he will emerge as a great player. So it all depends upon who all mentor him and how. Guys like (Anil) Kumble and Dravid can keep in good stead.”
Wassan opined that a batter’s true standing in the game is ultimately determined by performances in Test cricket.
“‘Test’ is the real test. A player gets respect from Test cricket only. You could hit those sixes as the grounds were a bit short. But when there will be three slips, no restrictions on bouncers, big grounds and tough conditions, if you do well there, you earn respect before the eyes of your contemporaries.”
Drawing comparison with former West Indies great Chris Gayle, Wassan said even one the most destructive T20 players gained greater recognition when he proved himself in the longest format.
“If you have a range of Chris Gayle. Gayle is Gayle because he scored a triple hundred in Test cricket. Gayle is arguably among one of the greatest T20 batters.
Wassan added that Sooryavanshi was already match ready for Team India.
“Sooryavanshi has shown that he is ready to play international cricket. He has taken all the bowlers in the world apart. He just walks in the Indian team. Where will you fit him is the job of the coach! In T20, one, two and three are all openers for me so it doesn’t matter,” he concluded.
