Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s tendency to explode and score big runs has already become apparent within a year of his breakthrough into the consciousness of cricket fans worldwide.
At just 14 years old, the Bihar opener has displayed power and bat speed to rival experienced senior players twice his age, and it was on show once again as he bludgeoned 190 off just 84 deliveries against a hapless Arunachal Pradesh bowling attack.
While Suryavanshi has shown his skills can translate to the senior level – his record century for Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL will not be forgotten any time soon – there are growing concerns regarding whether he is spending time at the right level of play. Bihar are currently in the Plate group for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where the calibre of bowling attacks will not emulate what he will need to face at the highest level.
The issue with Suryavanshi’s displays is two-fold, argued former Indian selector Devang Gandhi in an interview with Times of India. First, it doesn’t provide the current selectors a terrific idea of how he would fare against a higher calibre of bowling. Secondly, it could instil ‘bad habits’ in Suryavanshi that would then require double the effort to reverse.
“As selectors, you will never take these records into account,” said Gandhi in the wake of Bihar racking up a monstrous world-record 574 runs in their Vijay Hazare Trophy opener against Arunachal. “BCCI has to be proactive. It has to create a parallel system for talented players like Suryavanshi coming from these states.”
‘He needs to play tough FC cricket’
The solution Gandhi presented was the requirement to play a higher level of First Class cricket, which would always challenge any young player a lot more and also be held in greater consideration by any selection panel. Gandhi urged the BCCI to find a way to provide that kind of experience to Suryavanshi.
“For Suryavanshi’s growth, he needs to play tough First-Class cricket. At the moment, he is only playing white-ball cricket. BCCI will have to find a way where Suryavanshi has exposure to top-class red-ball cricket,” said Gandhi.
Finally, he warned Suryavanshi against spending time playing a level of cricket that would be ‘meaningless’ given the potential he has, and the quality he already possesses: the best way for him to improve his game will be through being challenged and having to improvise and improve consistently, rather than banking on albeit incredible knocks such as the ones against Arunachal and the UAE in recent U-19 and Rising Stars Asia Cups.
“It shouldn’t be the case where the hours he is putting in domestic cricket are becoming meaningless. At his age, bad habits in the game can creep in easily if he is exposed to poor quality cricket for a long time,” concluded Gandhi.
Suryavanshi will continue to play for Bihar in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but now expected to be first-choice opener for RR in the IPL, he will want to ensure he can make that jump to the senior level a more seamless one.