Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to emerge as a “generational talent”, urging people not to judge the 15-year-old after a difficult start to his international career. Sooryavanshi endured a challenging debut T20I series in England, scoring 14, 13 and 15 in three appearances as India went down 0-4. The young opener also struggled against Jofra Archer‘s short-ball, falling to the England pacer twice during the series. Despite the modest returns, Raza believes the youngster has the ability to become one of the game’s brightest stars if his development is managed carefully. “Vaibhav is a supremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old kid is playing international cricket, criticising him after just two or three matches isn’t justified,” Raza said on JioStar. “I think Vaibhav has a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and handled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent.” The India opener now returns to Harare, a venue that holds special memories for him after his remarkable 175 off 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final in January helped India lift the title. With Sanju Samson unavailable for the Zimbabwe tour, Sooryavanshi is expected to receive another opportunity at the top of the order when the three-match T20I series gets underway on Thursday. Raza said the teenager’s rise through the ranks at such a young age is already an extraordinary achievement and stressed the importance of nurturing his talent. “To see what he has done over the last year, what he has done for India Under-19, and the fact that he made his international debut at the same age, these are no small feats by any means. “You don’t get to hear such stories nowadays. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is managed and handled,” he added. Looking ahead to the series, Raza rejected suggestions that India would start as overwhelming favourites despite Zimbabwe facing the reigning T20 world champions. “Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure about is that because Zimbabwe has been playing very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say this for sure that this series will be very entertaining,” Raza told Star Sports. Zimbabwe head into the contest with confidence after a series of impressive results, including a memorable 23-run victory over Australia at the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo in February, a result that played a key role in Australia’s surprise group-stage exit. They have also registered wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year. “As far as winning or losing is concerned, both countries have an equal chance to win the series,” said Raza, who has represented Zimbabwe in 136 T20Is. The experienced all-rounder acknowledged India’s fearless batting approach, saying it can either overwhelm opponents or leave the door open if things do not go according to plan. “As far as their batting line-up is concerned, if it clicks on the day, they’ll bat you out of the game. But with high-risk cricket, sometimes it doesn’t come off, and when that happens and the total isn’t as big, the other team does have a chance.” Raza also pointed out that both teams are currently in transition, making the contest more evenly balanced than many expect. “Yes, India is going through a transition and to some extent you’ll see Zimbabwe is also going have a little bit of transition happening as well. I don’t see it as a one-sided series,” he said. He also praised the long-standing relationship between the two cricketing nations and the value of facing one of the world’s leading teams. “India has been a great friend to Zimbabwe cricket. From the players’ point of view, it’s about the growth of the players and the exposure they get from playing against the world champions, as India are.” The remaining two matches of the series will also be played in Harare on July 25 and 26.
