'Sachin Tendulkar is a great example': India's 1983 World Cup hero shares valuable advice for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
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'Sachin Tendulkar is a great example': India's 1983 World Cup hero shares valuable advice for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Dilip Vengsarkar urged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to follow the discipline and maturity that made Sachin Tendulkar great.
- The 1983 World Cup winner backed the 15-year-old to thrive once handed his India debut.
- Vengsarkar was cautious on Sooryavanshi's red-ball future, saying he had not seen him in longer formats.
India's 1983 World Cup hero shares valuable advice for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
As the clamour for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India debut grows louder, a voice from one of Indian cricket's golden chapters has offered the teenager some priceless guidance.
Dilip Vengsarkar, a hero of the 1983 World Cup triumph, has pointed the prodigy toward the ultimate role model.
That model is none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Vengsarkar, who as a selector once watched a young Tendulkar up close, believes the teenager should absorb the qualities that turned the Master Blaster into the most prolific batter the game has ever seen.
The advice carries extra weight given the moment. Sooryavanshi was left out of the first T20I in Belfast, a match India lost to Ireland, yet stands on the brink of breaking Tendulkar's record as the youngest male cricketer ever to represent India.
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Dilip Vengsarkar points to Sachin Tendulkar
Vengsarkar's praise is rooted in genuine first-hand experience. As a senior player and later a national selector, he famously had Kapil Dev and others bowl to a 15-year-old Tendulkar in the nets, witnessing the composure of the prodigy who would go on to redefine batting greatness.
Drawing on personal memory, Vengsarkar recalled exactly what set Tendulkar apart as a youngster. "When I watched Sachin Tendulkar play, he looked mentally mature for his age. He did extremely well in inter-school tournaments in Mumbai, besides club cricket, where he scored consistently," Vengsarkar told PTI.
For Vengsarkar, those traits are exactly what Sooryavanshi must develop. "He was mentally prepared to play a higher level of cricket, so that is how we picked him. He was so disciplined, passionate, and focused, and that is a great example for the youngsters like Vaibhav to emulate," he said.
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An unbelievable young talent
Vengsarkar left no doubt about his faith in the youngster's ability to deliver. "I am sure he will get the opportunity, and once he gets it, he will grab it with both hands because he is a very good player. He is just unbelievable," he said.
He then lavished praise on the teenager's extraordinary range. "He has tremendous potential. Some of the shots he plays are unreal. His batsmanship is completely different. He can clear the ground with his bat swing and hand-eye coordination. In T20 format, he has been amazing," Vengsarkar added.
Sooryavanshi's rise has been meteoric. Beyond his record-breaking IPL season, he struck a century in the final of this year's Under-19 World Cup and recently smashed the fastest fifty in List A history, blasting 94 off 29 balls for India A against Sri Lanka A.
The Test question stays open
On whether Sooryavanshi can succeed in the longer formats, the veteran was cautious. "It's very difficult to say because he is currently in the T20 format. I have not seen him play in a longer format. But I'm sure he will do well in that, once picked," he said.
He stressed the importance of that next step, adding, "We will have to wait and see how he plays in the longer format, which is very important." Whenever the call comes, Sooryavanshi will carry both immense promise and the priceless example of a Mumbai legend before him.
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