'He is more than ready': Kumar Sangakkara on potential India call up for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Mullanpur: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s performance against world class bowlers in the IPL is an indicator that he is more than ready to play for India, said Sri Lankan legend and Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara.

The 15-year-old had a phenomenal first full season in the IPL as he aggregated 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.31. He could well end up as the leading run getter of the tournament if Shubman Gill or Sai Sudharsan don’t surpass him in the final on Sunday.

Having taken the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins to the cleaners over the course of the two month long competition, Sooryavanshi has reinforced the popular belief that he is rarest of rare who would serve India for long.

After endorsements from former cricketers including the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, Sangakkara too indicated that the left-hander is ready for the highest level.

“You never know if anyone's ready until they play. And with everything Vaibhav's shown against some of the best bowlers in the world, I think he's more than ready to take on any challenge that you throw at him. And I'm sure that he'll get that call-up very, very soon," said the Sri Lankan after Royals’ exit from the IPL.

“He's batted with a lot of maturity, he has shouldered the responsibility of that opening partnership so well for us this season,” he added.

India’s next T20 assignment is in Ireland late June and there is a strong likelihood of Sooryavanshi making his international debut in that series.

After a 29-ball 97 in Eliminator, the teenager switched gears for 96 off 47 balls on Friday night, showing he can adapt if the situation demands.

“Yeah, I thought he batted brilliantly. It was a much tougher batting innings with wickets falling around him and he held his nerve and really got us to a defendable total. The guy, for 15 years old, is very mature, he reads the game really well, he reads situations well and he's got no fear.

“I think we are very, very proud of the season that he's had and we just want to make sure that he keeps going, keeps that intent, keeps that no-fear attitude and keeps growing. I think he's going to be even better as the years go by,” said Sangakkara.

How do Royals plan to look after Sooryavanshi in between IPL seasons? “We all will have a plan for all our players, individually, fielding, fitness work, any skill work that we think they need. So for Vaibhav, it won't be different.

"We'll sit down with our medical team and then go through what he might need and then support him. We'll run our camps, he'll have enough practice opportunities in Nagpur (Talegaon) with us. So we'll be keeping a very close eye, not just on Vaibhav, but all our players,” he said.

Asked if he would coach a carefree soul like him differently to others, Sangakkara added: “ We don't clutter his mind too much. He comes to all our team meetings, he contributes, he listens, and he does a lot of homework. He practises well and he reads bowlers well, he watches their videos and prepares himself really well." PTI BS KHS “Coaching at this level is not always just technical input. Overloading people with information is never good. So we keep things pretty simple when we can.

“So we don't want to put any unnecessary thoughts into his head. I think a clear mind, batting with that courage is exactly what we want to see of him. And yes, any batter getting hit, any cricketer getting hit, it is scary, but I'm glad that he's okay,” said the former Sri Lanka captain referring to the blow on the opener’s helmet in Qualifier 2.