“Criticizing him after two or three matches is not justified”: Sikandar Raza defends Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo) Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to emerge as a “generational talent” and urged people not to judge the 15-year-old after a difficult start to his international career. Sooryavanshi endured a tough debut T20I series in England, scoring 14, 13 and 15 in three appearances as India lost 0-4. The young opener also struggled with Jofra Archer’s short ball and fell to the England pacer twice during the series. Despite modest returns, Raza believes the youngster has the ability to become one of the game’s brightest stars if his development is carefully managed. “Vaibhav is an extremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old boy is playing international cricket, criticizing him after just two or three matches is not justified,” Raza said on JioStar. “I think Vaibhav has got a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and controlled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent.” The Indian opener now returns to Harare, a place that holds special memories for him after his remarkable 175 off 80 balls against England in the U-19 World Cup final in January helped India lift the title. With Sanju Samson unavailable for the Zimbabwe tour, Sooryavanshi is expected to get another opportunity at the top of the order when the three-match T20I series gets underway on Thursday. Raza said the teenager’s rise at such a young age was an extraordinary achievement and stressed the importance of developing his talent. “If you want to see what he has done in the last year, what he has done for India under-19 and the fact that he made his international debut at the same age, these are no small things by any means. “You don’t hear such stories these days. Vaibhav is special. How he is handled and treated will be important,” he added. Looking ahead to the series, Raza dismissed suggestions that India would start as overwhelming favorites despite Zimbabwe facing the reigning World T20 champions. “Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure of is that because Zimbabwe is playing very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say for sure that this series will be very entertaining,” Raza told Star Sports. Zimbabwe go into the competition with confidence after a string of impressive results, including a memorable 23-run victory over Australia at the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo in February, a result that played a key role in Australia’s surprise exit from the group stage. They also recorded wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year. “Win or lose, both countries have an equal chance to win the series,” said Raza, who has represented Zimbabwe in 136 T20Is. Acknowledging India’s fearless batting approach, the veteran all-rounder said he can either overpower the opposition or leave the door open if things don’t go according to plan. “In terms of their batting line-up, if it works on the day, it will put you out of the game. But in high-risk cricket, sometimes it doesn’t work out and when that happens and the total isn’t that big, the other team has a chance.” Raza also pointed out that both teams are currently in transition, making the contest more even than many expect. “Yes, India is going through a transition and to some extent you will see Zimbabwe also going through a bit of a transition. I don’t see it as a one-sided series,” he said. He also praised the long-standing relationship between the two cricketing nations and the value of facing one of the world’s leading teams. “India has been a great friend to Zimbabwean cricket. From the players’ point of view, it’s about growing the players and exposing them when they play against the world champions like India.” The remaining two matches of the series are also played in Harare on July 25 and 26.