Former India captain and ex-chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has lavished praise on teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, describing the 15-year-old as an "unbelievable" talent with exceptional hand-eye coordination and immense potential ahead of his expected India debut on the upcoming tours of Ireland and England.
"I am sure he will get the opportunity, and once he gets it, he will grab it with both hands because he is a very good player. He is just unbelievable," Vengsarkar, who is currently touring the UK with the Mumbai Cricket Association team, told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"He has tremendous potential. Some of the shots he plays are unreal. His batsmanship is completely different. He can clear the ground with his bat swing and hand-eye coordination. In T20 format, he has been amazing."
Asked whether Sooryavanshi could eventually thrive in the longer format, Vengsarkar said it was too early to make that assessment.
"It's very difficult to say because he is currently in the T20 format. I have not seen him play in a longer format."
"But I'm sure he will do well in that, once picked. We will have to wait and see how he plays in the longer format, which is very important."
Drawing parallels with Sachin Tendulkar's early years, Vengsarkar said the youngster could learn from the legendary batter's maturity and discipline.
"When I watched Sachin Tendulkar play, he looked mentally matured for his age. He did extremely well in inter-school tournaments in Mumbai, besides club cricket where he scored consistently," Vengsarkar said.
"He was mentally prepared to play a higher level of cricket, (so) that is how we picked him. He was so disciplined, passionate, and focused, and that is a great example for the youngsters like Vaibhav to emulate."
Vengsarkar also expressed confidence in Shreyas Iyer, who has taken over as India's T20I captain, saying the Mumbai batter possesses the qualities to succeed as a leader.
"He (likes to) lead from the front as he is doing very well as a batsman, and that allows him to call the shots as a captain. He is a very thoughtful captain, and he will do well," Vengsarkar said.
The former skipper also called for Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal to receive a longer run in India's Test side, recalling their crucial partnership against England in Dharamsala.
"I was really impressed by Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal in the India-England Test match in Dharamsala a couple of years ago. They had an excellent partnership at a very crucial stage of the Test match. They showed excellent temperament and excellent technique," he said.
"Sarfaraz is a good player. There is no question about it. But you cannot take a place for granted and you have to be fit all the time."
On senior players, Vengsarkar backed injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya to manage his fitness effectively and said Rohit Sharma alone should decide whether to continue until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Also Read: How Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, became the great sporting prodigy of this generation
"He (Pandya) knows his body very well; how he can utilise that (and) how he can bring the best from himself. It depends a lot on fitness and focus," Vengsarkar said.
"He (Rohit) has done so well for India and for himself. It's up to him. He's been playing international cricket for the last (almost) 20 years and I'm sure he knows the best (on) how to go about things," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
