Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 2027 World Cup? Ex-spinner makes bold ODI prediction
L Sivaramakrishnan has urged India to consider Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the 2027 World Cup. The former spinner said the teenager should be backed in white-ball cricket as a long-term match-winner.
Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has joined the mounting excitement surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, predicting the 15-year-old prodigy could prove to be a genuine game-changer if handed an opportunity at next year's ODI World Cup. Only on Saturday, the teenager was handed his T20I debut against England at Old Trafford, officially becoming the youngest cricketer to play international cricket for India.
Sivaramakrishnan, however, believes the selectors must look beyond the shortest format, urging the team management to hand Sooryavanshi consistent opportunities in both T20Is and one-day internationals.
On his international debut, the teenager provided a fleeting but thrilling glimpse of the immense talent that has made him the new poster boy of world cricket, smashing a nine-ball 14. Facing the raw pace of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, Sooryavanshi nonchalantly hit each bowler for a massive six before eventually being stumped.
The historic debut came after intense public clamour. India had surprisingly chosen to bench the youngster for the two T20Is in Ireland as well as the opening match of the five-match series against England in Chester-le-Street. On Saturday, the management finally relented, replacing Sanju Samson in the XI and handing Sooryavanshi his maiden India cap at the tender age of 15 years and 99 days.
"He sure should get a chance at the upcoming 50 overs World Cup if he does exceedingly well in the T20 format. He should get an opportunity because he's going to be a match winner," Sivaramakrishnan told PTI.
"When he scores runs, he's going to be a match-winner in all formats of white-ball cricket."
India admittedly face a problem of plenty in white-ball cricket. While Sooryavanshi has successfully forced his way into the T20I setup, the one-day side remains incredibly congested, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all vying for the opening slots. With the 2027 World Cup scheduled to take place in Africa next year, it remains to be seen whether the selectors will blood the teenager in 50-over cricket should his T20I performances catch fire.
While the young opener's foundational bedrock is rooted in longer white-ball cricket (he has already accumulated 38 senior and youth one-day appearances, including a record-shattering 1,412 runs and four centuries in 25 Youth ODIs) it was his jaw-dropping exploits in the Indian Premier League that completely broke down the doors of international selection.
Across two blistering IPL seasons, Sooryavanshi has compiled 34 highly explosive T20 appearances, consistently dismantling world-class bowling attacks with a fearlessness that belies his age. His ability to dominate the powerplay and strike at a rate well north of 160 made it virtually impossible for the national selectors to ignore him any longer. That domestic T20 momentum carried directly into the international summer. Just before his India call-up, he smashed a breathtaking 29-ball 94 (blasting an 11-ball half-century) against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, which followed a monumental match-winning 175 against England in the U19 World Cup final earlier in the year.
LONG ROPE FOR SOORYAVANSHI
Sivaramakrishnan urged the team management, specifically head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer, to fiercely back the youngster and afford him a long rope regardless of initial failures.
"He should be given a fair amount of chances with white ball cricket and see how he performs. He should continue. I mean, there's no point in blooding a youngster and giving him a break or resting him. He doesn't need rest. He can keep playing right throughout the year," Sivaramakrishnan told PTI in an interaction.
"Especially as a batter, he doesn't need a bowler's fitness. And batting for long periods of time will also give him that concentration, the mental work that he can do for long periods of time," the former Tamil Nadu leg-break bowler observed.
"Once you decide to play him, you have got to give him ample opportunities. Remember, he is an investment for the next 20 years. I think what Vaibhav needs now is a lot of support from the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and the captain (Shreyas Iyer) and the rest of the players. Even if he does not do well in a few games, he should be backed. He should be continued."