‘Don’t Hype Him So Much’: Kapil Dev’s Big Advice On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Despite Tendulkar-Kohli Comparison

India’s legendary captain Kapil Dev has advised fans and experts not to overhype Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his lethal form in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he admitted that the youngster possesses the kind of natural talent seen in legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

The 15-year-old, who is currently in England with the Shreyas Iyer-led India T20I squad, is still waiting for his international debut. He was not picked for the T20I series against Ireland and also missed out on the playing XI in the first T20I against England.

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Why Kapil Dev Warned to hype Sooryavanshi?

Kapil believes it is too early to hype Sooryavanshi, saying that players at such a young age are still learning about themselves and the game, even if they possess extraordinary talent.

“Give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi some time. Don’t hype him up so much because at such a young age, one doesn’t even fully understand everything or know themselves completely. But if you talk about talent, yes, he looks as good as Sachin [Tendulkar] and Virat Kohli—that much talent is visible in him,” Kapil Dev told Sports Tak.

Will Sooryavanshi play a 5-over maiden?

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain also said that while Sooryavanshi has shown tremendous promise in T20 cricket, he still has to prove himself across formats. Kapil pointed out that success in Test cricket demands a different skill set and questioned whether the young batter could show the patience needed in the longest format.

“But for the rest, he has to prove himself. The day he plays a Test match, can he play a 5-over maiden? Virender Sehwag might not think like that, but in cricket, people do think this way. However, I think in T20s, he is fabulous. To make such an impact at such a young age, you won’t even find 1% of people like him in the world,” said Kapil Dev.

Notably, there are chances that Sooryavanshi will be seen featuring in the second T20I against England, which will take place on July 4 at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Stretford, England.