Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag has advised young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to steer clear of press conferences for now, so that outside noise and pressure don’t creep in. The teenage sensation had announced himself in style last IPL with a record-breaking 35-ball century on debut. He carried that momentum into Under-19 cricket as well, where he continued to impress and played a key role in India’s World Cup triumph, finishing as the Player of the Tournament.
Parag, who is taking over the captaincy charge from Sanju Samson, made his stance clear when asked about handling young talent, stressed the need to protect Sooryavanshi from unnecessary attention and allow him to grow at his own pace.
“As a captain my message to him would be to not do a lot of press conferences or follow a lot of media,” Parag told reporters here during a pre-season press conference.
“Let him just enjoy, which I will request you (media) as well. Do not reach out to his manager or anyone; just let him be. He’s a 15-16 (14) year-old kid, let him play cricket. He’s playing really well and he’s going to make the country proud,” he added.
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Sooryavanshi lit up the final with a breathtaking 175 off just 80 balls, powering India to a record sixth U-19 World Cup title. The innings underlined his temperament as much as his talent, showing he can handle pressure on the biggest stage and deliver when it matters most.
“Vaibhav Sooyavanshi scoring runs everywhere”
Continuing his backing for the young opener, Parag acknowledged the pressure around Sooryavanshi and backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to carry the bulk of it, while urging the youngster to stay fearless and trust his natural game:
“Of course he will have some pressure coming his way but I am going to tell him that whatever pressure is going to be there, Jaiswal will handle it as he is good enough to handle that role,” Parag said.
“My only message for Vaibhav is to go out and play. If the first ball is meant to be hit, hit it. There’s no issue in that.”
“I don’t think any young player has done what he has over the last one year. He is scoring runs everywhere,” Parag added.
