Kapil Dev urges patience with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Kapil Dev says Sooryavanshi’s long-term prospects need time to emerge

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise has drawn widespread attention, but former India captain Kapil Dev has cautioned against making predictions about the 15-year-old’s future too soon. Sooryavanshi has made an impression across age-group cricket, India A and the IPL, and is now part of India’s T20I setup. He is waiting for an opportunity behind established openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

“It’s too early. Does he have the ability? Yes. But there have been so many in cricket who came with so much ability, then faded out,” Kapil told The Times of India. He invoked former India batter Vinod Kambli as a reminder that extraordinary early talent does not automatically lead to a sustained career.

Kapil points to development beyond the scoreboard

Kapil said the next few years will offer a better indication of how Sooryavanshi handles the demands of a career at the top level. “Vaibhav is 15 years old. Give him another three years, then we will talk,” he said, adding that changes in a young player’s lifestyle and thinking can be as important as performances.

The teenager has already produced headline-making innings. In the Under-19 World Cup final in Harare, he scored 175 from 80 balls as India Under-19 won the title. In June, playing for India A against Sri Lanka A in a tri-series final, he hit a List A record-fast half-century in 11 balls and went on to make 94 from 29 deliveries.

Kapil said he looks for young cricketers with the potential to remain at the highest level for a decade or longer. He cited Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar as players who made India proud, and said he is always watching for the next young batter capable of becoming a long-term star.

For Sooryavanshi, the attention is likely to continue. Kapil’s central point, however, was that talent is only the beginning: how the teenager develops and manages life away from the spotlight will help determine the length of his career.