‘Even if he doesn’t get game time, he’s still in the dugout’: Morne Morkel’s big message for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

NEW DELHI: India bowling coach Morne Morkel believes that teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can benefit immensely from spending more time with experienced players even if he does not play in the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies.The 15-year-old was part of India’s gold-medal-winning team at the Asian Games and played in all the matches in Nagoya, though he did not make a significant impact with the bat. With India opening their three-match T20I series against the West Indies on Tuesday, Morkel stressed that Sooryavanshi’s development is not just dependent on getting regular game time.

More than just game time

“We all know Vaibhav’s talent. The more time he spends in this environment with quality players, the more time he trains at this standard, it will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel said at the pre-match press conference.The bowling coach emphasized how much a young player can learn simply by being around the senior batsmen and watching their routines.“And if he’s not getting that playing time, he’s still on the bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience. It’s going to be key for him to share that locker room and talk to guys or just watch guys go through their processes and set up shifts,” he said.Sooryavanshi’s place in India’s eleven for the series opener remains unclear, with the team management yet to finalize the combination.

Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image:

“Ask the right questions and observe”

Morkel said it is India’s responsibility to create the right environment for the young players regardless of how much time they spend on the field.“If you put guys in the right environment and they can ask the right questions and they can observe. So I always challenge them and for any young player if they get playing time or if playing time is a little limited, it’s still our job to make sure those guys are learning and growing and asking questions,” he said.Sooryavanshi opened alongside Abhishek Sharma during India’s Asian Games campaign, but Morkel declined to say whether the same combination would be retained against the West Indies.“I mean that’s the combination (Abhishek and Sooryavanshi above) felt for them in the Asian Games. Tonight we’ll figure out what’s the best combination for us going into this series. They’ll adapt, they’ll swim, they’ll make some changes, I honestly can’t answer that right now,” he said.

Indian cricketers with Asian Games gold medals. (IANS photo)

Jet lag adds to the selection puzzle

The move from the Asian Games could also affect India’s selection for Tuesday’s opening match. Several players have only recently returned from Nagoya, so management is mindful of fatigue and jet lag.“…the red flag or the problem might be that our guys are traveling back after the Asian Games. Some guys have only arrived a few days ago, so the jet lag, we’re getting over the journey. Once we get going and get the series going, we’re all really looking forward to it,” Morkel said.He added that India’s immediate goal remains to win matches while expanding the pool of players who can feature when given the opportunity.“This group of players has played some exceptional cricket over the last couple of years. The lads who have been given opportunities have come in and done a great job. It will be great for Indian cricket if we continue to grow that pool, continue to give the lads that experience of what it is to play in an Indian jersey.”For Sooryavanshi, Morkel’s message was clear: every moment spent with India’s experienced players is part of his development – whether it comes on the field or from the bus, dugout or dressing room.