Freedom key to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s success with Team India: Jayasuriya

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya believes that India should allow Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play his natural game and not burden the young batsman with expectations. Calling the 15-year-old a “good investment” for the future of Indian cricket, Jayasuriya said nurturing his talent and giving him the freedom to express himself will be important for his development.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the jersey launch of Indian Softball Cricket League teams Mumbai Royals and Maharashtra Super Strikers, Jayasuriya said Sooryavanshi has a long way to go but has shown a lot of promise.

“He has a long way to go but he is a good future for India. Let him play his natural game and let him do his job and he will be a good investment for Indian cricket,” Jayasuriya said.

Sooryavanshi has attracted considerable attention with his aggressive batting and Jayasuriya believes that India have a promising young talent on their hands. The former Sri Lankan opener stressed that he should focus on being able to develop without disrupting his natural approach.

JAYASURIYA PLAYED BY ABHISHEK SHARMA

Jayasuriya also praised India’s batting talent and singled out Abhishek Sharma for his all-round ability with the bat. The former Sri Lanka captain said the left-hander’s biggest strength is his ability to score runs all over the pitch.

“(They are all) talented cricketers, they are playing well. India has talent and he is playing good cricket at the moment,” he said.

“There are some Indian players who have done well, it’s good to see them, they’re talented and they work hard and play well. He (Abhishek) is an all-rounder, nothing specific, he’s strong – he’s an all-rounder. He can play in any part of the park, so that’s a good thing,” added Jayasuriya.

SRI LANKA LOOKING FORWARD TO INDIA TOUR

The former Sri Lanka captain also expressed confidence in his team’s preparation ahead of the white-ball tour of India in December. Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in the final of the ongoing tri-series, which also features England, and Jayasuriya believes the team’s performance in the competition has given them a timely confidence boost.

“It is a good confidence (booster) for the Sri Lankan team who are doing well before coming to India. The confidence is high, they are playing well and I hope they will do well in India,” he said.

Sri Lanka recently put in a remarkable performance in ODI cricket as they successfully chased down a target of 430 runs against England to register the second highest run total in the history of the format.

Hailing the growing dominance of batsmen in white-ball cricket, Jayasuriya said the ability of teams to chase huge totals has made the game more exciting.

“It’s very good to see that happening and the players on the board running and chasing it, which is good for cricket,” he said.

The former opener added that the growing confidence among batting sides has also created challenges for the bowlers, with teams becoming more willing to chase big targets.

“Teams and players are getting more confident and that’s the key. Anything is possible these days and it’s good to see teams running on the board and even chasing each other, but I can see it also puts the bowlers under pressure,” he said.

Jayasuriya also pointed to changes in playing conditions and regulations as factors contributing to the evolving nature of white-ball cricket.

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