Former India spinner Ravinchandran Ashwin has a suggestion for teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. And he is not far from the truth. Ashwin says the 15-year-old should enjoy his cricket at present and play for fun because it won’t be that way for long. Playing in India colours is full of pressure, and before he knows it, it will turn into work.
“He’s a 15-year-old kid, who I personally believe should have fun playing the game, just like you would in the gullies from his hometown. He’s not going to have a lot of long road ahead of him where he’s going to play without pressure. It will eventually catch up, because it will turn into being work, but as of now, I would love for him to have fun and entertain all of us,” Ashwin said on BBC’s Stumped podcast.
Ashwin also admired how quickly Sooryavanshi was learning. He is not just hitting one six after another. Needs must, he can shift gears and is smart enough to give respect to seasoned bowlers.
“I think he’s special. When you watch someone special, you know it straight away. What stood out with Vaibhav was not just the way he’s batted, but it’s also about how he’s been able to make subtle adjustments with respect to some senior bowlers coming after him,” Ashwin said.
Sooryavanshi recently received his maiden India call-up and later today can make his T20I debut against Ireland at Stormont, Belfast. But it’s unlikely because he is an out-and-out opener and there is no reason for Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer to choose him ahead of one of the regular openers, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Unless, of course, there are injury or illness concerns.
Nah, not in near future!
Ashwin also said the possibility of Indian players playing in franchise leagues other than the Indian Premier League is not strong at present. Only the retired and out-of-favour players like Ashwin have been handed some kind of leeway. He is currently playing in Major League Cricket in the United States of America. “The honest answer is no [on the possibility of the participation of Indian players]. Whether you agree to it or not, the economic model means a lot to the game, and the IPL is standing at the cusp of probably having a valuation that’s more than some of the other leagues.
“The IPL is able to retain the quality of players, local players especially, and Indian players are heavily marketable in the country. Enabling them to move on to another league, especially when they’re contracted to play for their country, I don’t think it’s going to happen. But you will see one-off cricketers here and there who will turn up and play in some of these leagues,” he said.
