Touted as great talents, Vinod Kambli and Prithvi Shaw lost their way in their respective careers. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just in his teens, is seen as a great prodigy.
Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa cautioned Sooryavanshi about the distractions he could face in his career, using Kambli and Shaw as examples. Uthappa also predicted that Sooryavanshi could have a bigger impact in white-ball cricket than Sachin Tendulkar.
“He could have a bigger impact on white-ball than Tendulkar. But how he’s managed is going to be important. We’ve seen in Indian cricket exciting players come through the ranks. We saw Vinod Kambli and Prithvi Shaw and started asking what they would become when they were 17-18 years old. And then suddenly they fall off the wagon,” Uthappa said on the CommBoxTV YouTube channel.
“So that will be Vaibhav’s first test. Can he stay pristine for the game over a period of five years? He’s 15 now, so can he stay pristine till he’s 20? There’s so much innocence to who he is that you want that to be protected. I love the fact that he’s saying no to every advertisement and he’s focusing only on cricket. Because when he’s 18, he’ll start being perceived as a man and the female attention will come. That can be a distraction as well.”
Uthappa also said that Sooryavanshi needs the right support and mentors in his career to excel.
“There will be trials and tribulations in his career, and how he overcomes those will be key. I only hope he has the right support system and mentors to protect him from the world and allow him to live in a bubble until he is ready to explore the outside world. His career is not going to be pristine as much as we want it to be. There are going to be ups and downs as part of the journey,” said Uthappa