Wait, watch, learn: Morkel backs Sooryavanshi’s growth despite limited playing time

Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his next opportunity in India. On the eve of the first T20I against the West Indies, bowling coach Morne Morkel did not contradict his head coach. Instead, he explained why the wait doesn’t have to stop the 15-year-old’s development.

Morkel believes that simply being in the Indian dressing room, training alongside the established players and watching them prepare for the innings can be invaluable for Sooryavanshi, even if he does not make the playing XI in Lucknow on Tuesday.

“We all know Vaibhav’s talent. I think the more time he spends in that environment, with quality players, the more time he trains at that standard, it will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel said on Monday.

The teenager returns from the Asian Games after strengthening his case. He opened for India in Nagoya and scored 38 off 21 balls in the semi-final against Sri Lanka. 15 off nine in the gold medal match against Pakistan. But the performances did not change Gambhir’s stance that India should not hastily break the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

Gambhir had earlier said that Vaibhav will have to wait because India could not simply ignore a combination that had delivered consistently over a long period of time. He also emphasized that the selection cannot be driven by the noise of social media, but by the combination that the coach and captain believe can win the match.

Ahead of the Asian Games, Vaibhav warmed the benches without getting an opportunity in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi.

Morkel’s view is that Vaibhav can take a lot from the experience even if he is not batting.

“If he’s not getting that game time, he’s still on the bus, in the basement, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience,” he said.

“The key for him is really just going to be watching guys go through their processes and how they set up their innings.”

Morkel said he even encouraged the youngster to actively observe his senior teammates, asking him what he had learned from watching them practice and bat.

“I always ask him on the bus, ‘What’s the one thing you learned today?’ Tell me, what did you think of the guy’s batting?”And that makes him think,” Morkel said.

WHY A DIFFERENT COMBINATION IN THE ASIAN GAMES?

Morkel was equally clear that the Asian Games combination should not be seen as a blueprint for the West Indies series. The XI there was decided by the management in charge of this campaign, while the current set-up will make its own challenge based on the conditions and needs of the match.

“That’s the combination they felt for them at the Asian Games,” Morkel said. “We’re going to figure out here tonight what’s the best combination for us going into the series.”

Ultimately, the decision will rest with Gambhir, the captain and the selection team, with the combination expected to influence the conditions at India’s home venues as well. Morkel said the immediate priority was to assess the players returning from the Asian Games before finalizing the XI.

“We’re all going to assess how everyone’s feeling after the jet lag, after the travel, and then we’ll make a plan,” he said.

So Vaibhav’s question for now remains less about whether India sees his talent and more about when he believes the moment is right. Gambhir asked him to wait. Morkel’s message is a bit different: wait, watch, learn and let the environment matter.

And with Abhishek, Samson and Vaibhav all competing for the top two spots, the opening challenge in Lucknow will offer the first indication of how India intend to handle this competition on home soil.

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