IND Vs ENG, 1st T20I: Gavaskar Backs India To Exploit Sooryavanshi's Novelty Factor In Series Opener

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Monday acknowledged that fitting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into India's settled top order would be a challenge but backed the teenager for a debut in the opening T20I against England, saying his fearless approach could catch the hosts off guard.

The 15-year-old did not feature in India's 2-0 series defeat to Ireland, but Gavaskar believes his time in the dressing room alongside senior players has been valuable and that he could emerge as a surprise package against England in the five-match T20I series.

“I'm hoping he plays the first game because it will be the start of a new series and he gets the team off to a flying start. It's the best way to recover from the series loss against Ireland,” Gavaskar told reporters in an interaction organised by Sony Sports.

“How they fit him in is going to be a real tough one because both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have done exceedingly well. You don't want to break a partnership which has given you good results."

According to Gavaskar, Sooryavanshi's biggest advantage is that England have had little opportunity to assess him, unlike the other Indian batters whom they would have studied during the Ireland series.

“If I might say, more than a tactical (but) from a temperament point of view, because England doesn't know what to expect. Some of them would have watched the Ireland matches and got some idea how to bowl to some of the Indian batters. But Sooryavanshi was not played, so nobody has seen him,” he said.

“All that they have seen of him are his videos of his IPL performances. So (if) he gets going, he can take the game away and that is what India needs at this particular point of time, after this loss, for somebody to make an impact straight away." Gavaskar lauded Sooryavanshi’s seniors like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan for guiding the youngster.

“We are seeing the senior players speaking with him in the dugout, which is a very good thing. Abhishek Sharma is his competitor as a left-handed batter, but the way he speaks about him, and the way Ishan Kishan speaks to him, it is a very encouraging sign,” Gavaskar said.

“They know he is a kid who has perhaps more than 20 years of cricket ahead. They are guiding him.” Gavaskar also pointed out that even if Sooryavanshi does not make the playing XI immediately, spending time alongside established international players will aid his development ahead of future opportunities.

“It’s not always compulsory that you have to play, sitting out, you can learn a lot about the dressing room environment. To see how the established players train to take their game ahead, how they handle failure in the dressing room — all this is also to be learnt.

"I always believe temperament is more important than your technique and ability at the highest level. If you have a strong mindset to fight and overcome tough times, show patience to move forward… what we are seeing from the dugout, the grooming that he is getting will benefit him a lot."

'Show Patience With The New Leadership' - Gavaskar

The former India captain said as a leadership pair at the international level, Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir will need some time to settle down.

"With any new relationship, there will always be just a little time taken for both to understand the support staff and the playing staff to understand what is expected of them. It will probably take a little (more) time, and so we just have to be a little patient with that,” he said.

Iyer has already established his leadership credentials in domestic and franchise cricket by winning titles and guiding teams to the knockout stages, but Gavaskar cautioned that success at the international level presented a different challenge.

“Shreyas Iyer's leadership has been proven over the years in the T20 format. We have seen him win trophies, and get teams into the knockouts and finals,” he said.

“But again, when it comes to international cricket, it is a whole different ball game. We see that where the individuals are brilliant at say, the Ranji Trophy level or the First-Class level, but somehow find that step up to the international level just a little bit tough to contend with.

“We just have to wait and see as far as Shreyas Iyer is concerned, this was just the first two games. Yes, it is a loss (against Ireland) which is hard to take. But let's be a little patient and see how it goes in the next five games in England.”