Vaibhav Sooryavanshi grabbed headlines for the right and wrong reasons during the recently-concluded Tri-Nation A series, in which he played for India A. While Sooryavanshi smashed a 29-ball 94 in the final, he was also caught up in a heated altercation during a league stage match against Sri Lanka A. During the argument, Sooryavanshi was seen even pushing an opposition player, leading to a certain section of social media users criticising and trolling the 15-year-old for his behaviour. However, legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has staunchly defended Sooryavanshi.
“How can you hate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?” Ashwin said, speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.
“I’ve heard a lot of people saying that the kid needs to show maturity while speaking to other players. Do we forget that we were kids too at one point? Do we forget that there are kids in our families too?” Ashwin added.
When asked whether people expect Sooryavanshi to follow the calmness shown by legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar from a young age, Ashwin pointed out that the scrutiny on Sooryavanshi now is much higher than what Tendulkar faced during his early years.
“During Sachin Tendulkar’s era, who followed India A so closely, with cameras? Was there IPL during that time? Did Sri Lankan players of that era know and watch so much about Sachin Tendulkar (before facing him)? This is a trend-breaking, trend-setting occurrence,” Ashwin stated.
Ashwin further clarified that it is the task of the match referee and the umpires to judge any argument on the cricket field. He urged people to not draw conclusions from afar.
“I’m not talking about the Sri Lankan or Indian players. All I’m saying is that we need to understand that such incidents happen in sport. The match referee and umpires are there in case the behaviour gets out of hand.
“We can have a remark about whether it’s right or wrong, but this is taking it beyond that. From afar, we don’t know what was said or how he reacted. We are being told, ‘the kid should’ve been respectful’. But this happens; it’s a sport where you’re putting your emotions and body on the line. How can we hate him? This is a very dangerous trend,” he explained.
Despite the ugly incident during the tournament, Sooryavanshi finished the series on the ultimate high, slamming a 29-ball 94 in the final, including a List A record 11-ball fifty.
The 15-year-old will now join the senior India T20I side for their upcoming series against Ireland and England, with a potential debut on the cards.
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