Former India coach Ravi Shastri has lauded young batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the teenager reminded him of a young Sachin Tendulkar. Shastri also revealed that Matthew Hayden was left stunned in the commentary box, refusing to believe that the batter was only 14 years old.“I was amazed; I was on air in that game in Jaipur. I went on air in the 4th over, and I did two stints in a row because we were one commentator short by that time. By the 9th, 10th over, he had gotten to his 100, and he had smacked it. He was hitting Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma 10 rows back over extra cover and midwicket. Haydos (Matthew Hayden) was there, and he said, ‘Oh he can’t be 14’, and I said, ‘Come on, calm down’,” Shastri said on the Willow Talk show on the LiSTNR Sport podcast.
Praising the youngster’s talent, Shastri said Vaibhav’s biggest challenge starts now.“For him, the toughest time is now. Because he’s made such an impression at such a young age, much like Sachin. Now, in those next two or three years, he needs someone to guide him. You can go off the rails very quickly. You can go into your head, expectations are high, you might not be able to handle it,” Shastri explained.“This is where someone has to go and tell him, you’re bound to fail at some stage. It’s a level, this game. So don’t be upset. It’s a part and parcel of life. You stick to what you are doing. Once you start embracing failure, start taking it in your stride, then you strike the right balance. This is an important time for him.”
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Shastri also advised that the young prodigy should play red-ball cricket to fine-tune his technique and temperament.“How good were a Sachin or a Kohli at that age? If this guy is that good at this age, there is no reason why he can’t be asked to play four-day games. It will do him good to ball out. It will help tighten his technique. Then he will get the balance of which bowlers to see off and which to target… targeting is not a problem — it is already there. It is about respecting the conditions,” Shastri added.
