NEW DELHI: India bowling coach Morne Morkel believes teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can benefit immensely from spending more time around experienced players, even if he does not get a game in the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies.The 15-year-old was part of India’s Asian Games gold-medal winning squad and played all the matches in Nagoya, though he could not make a significant impact with the bat. With India set to begin their three-match T20I series against the West Indies on Tuesday, Morkel stressed that Sooryavanshi’s development is not dependent only on getting regular game time.
More than just game time
“We all know the talent of Vaibhav. The more time he spends in this environment with the quality players, the more time he trains at this standard, will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel said at the pre-match press conference.The bowling coach highlighted how much a young player can learn simply by being around senior campaigners and observing their routines.“And if he’s not getting that game time, he’s still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience. With him sharing that sort of dressing room and talking to guys, or just actually watching how the guys go through their processes and how they set up innings, will be key for him,” he said.Sooryavanshi’s place in India’s XI for the series opener remains unclear, with the team management yet to finalise its combination.
Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image: X)
‘Ask the right questions and observe’
Morkel said India’s responsibility is to create the right environment for young players, regardless of how much time they spend on the field.“If you put guys in the right environment and they can ask the right questions and they can observe. So I always challenge them, and for any young player, if he gets game time or if that game time is a little limited, it’s still our job to make sure that these guys learn, they grow, and they ask questions,” he said.Sooryavanshi opened alongside Abhishek Sharma during India’s Asian Games campaign, but Morkel refused to indicate whether the same combination would be retained against the West Indies.“I mean that’s the combination (Abhishek and Sooryavanshi at the top) they felt for them at the Asian Games. We’ll work out tonight what is the best combination for us going into this series. Will they adapt, will they float, will they make any changes, I quite honestly can’t give that answer now,” he said.
India cricketers with their Asian Games gold medals. (IANS Photo)
Jet lag adds to selection puzzle
The transition from the Asian Games could also influence India’s selection for Tuesday’s opener. Several players have only recently returned from Nagoya, leaving the management mindful of fatigue and jet lag.“…the red flag or the problem might be, our guys are travelling back after the Asian Games. Some of the guys only arrived a couple of days ago, so jet lag, getting over the journey. Once we are up and running and we get the series going, we are all really looking forward to it,” Morkel said.India’s immediate goal, he added, remains winning matches while simultaneously expanding the pool of players who can step up when given an opportunity.“This group of players have played some exceptional cricket over the last couple of years. The guys who got opportunities came in, and they’ve done a brilliant job. It will be great for Indian cricket if we keep on growing that pool, keep on giving guys that experience of the taste of what it is to play in an Indian shirt.”For Sooryavanshi, Morkel’s message was clear: every moment spent around India’s experienced players is part of his development — whether it comes on the field or from the bus, dugout or dressing room.
