'Let him serve...': Ashwin defends Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's delayed international debut
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken out in favor of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's delayed international debut. The 15-year-old prodigy was expected to make his T20I debut against Ireland, but the team management chose to stick with the tried-and-tested opening duo of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Despite India's disappointing start to the series under new captain Shreyas Iyer, Ashwin emphasized that there is much to learn from watching from the sidelines before making an international appearance.
Patience advised
Take on Sooryavanshi's delayed debut
Despite retaining the opening duo, India lost the 1st T20I to Ireland in Belfast. On his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat,' Ashwin said, "Please, everyone, think about the game with some wisdom. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened together, and Sanju batted very well in the World Cup." He questioned the logic of dropping one of them to accommodate Sooryavanshi.
Learning emphasized
'Let him serve the team, help out...'
The former spinner also stressed that there's value in sitting out and observing before making an international debut. Ashwin added, "Let him serve the team, help out, even bring water. There is a lot to learn from that experience." He compared Sooryavanshi's potential career trajectory to that of Sachin Tendulkar and said if he sits out for some time first, he will develop empathy and understanding of the team environment.
History
Sooryavanshi can still make history
Sooryavanshi (15y 92d*) is set to become India's youngest-ever player in international cricket. As of now, Sachin Tendulkar remains India's youngest debutant in both Tests and ODIs. He made his international debut in the 1981 Karachi Test against Pakistan, aged 16 years and 205 days. Over a month later, Tendulkar made his ODI debut (16y 238d). Meanwhile, Washington Sundar is India's youngest T20I debutant, having made his debut in 2017 (18 years and 80 days).