Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made a fearless debut when he scored 14 runs off 10 deliveries in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi became the youngest Indian to make his international debut after Sachin Tendulkar. However, Ashwin doesn’t want any experts and fans to compare Sooryavanshi with former legendary players like Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar.
Recently, the youngster scored 776 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.30. Thus, he received his maiden T20I call-up and Ashwin is confident that the youngster has the capability to go a long way in his career.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “I’m very happy. The way he took on Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue has already given us a trailer of what’s to come. To step onto such a big stage without any fear, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of fear or pressure on his face. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is here to play, and he’s here to stay. I have no doubt about that.”
“I only want to see how this boy turns it around and goes on to have a very successful career because I think he can do it. He has the capability. But don’t compare him with anyone. We want the first Vaibhav Suryavanshi. We don’t want the second Don Bradman, the second Sachin Tendulkar, or the second Shane Warne. We want the first Vaibhav Suryavanshi, so that we can witness his own journey and learn from it.”
Ashwin said the players should be given the freedom and they should not be judged on few ordinary performances. India have lost their last three games and would want to return back to winning ways in the third game of the series against England.
“If we sell criticism, people will buy it because negativity sells easily. What’s the concern? The next World Cup is two years away. The Olympics are also two years away. Let these players play. Let them lose. Without failures, there is no success. This is the time for them to learn. All these Indian T20 players came into the team after the seniors had built a very strong team culture. They came in and went on to win the T20 World Cup. If players aren’t allowed to experience failure, we won’t produce future legends and champions. Nobody becomes great without failing first. Let them fail.”
The third T20I between England and India will be played at Nottingham on Tuesday.
