Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said India will need to take a measured approach with teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, stressing that he must be nurtured carefully if he is to develop into a Test cricketer.
Harbhajan pointed out that young players will go through ups and downs early in their careers, but backing them with the right opportunities can shape their mindset and game. “They will eventually learn, even through the ups and downs. But if a 15-year-old boy can hit the ball, he can also block. It is about the mindset; if you give him the opportunity he will adapt to that,” Harbhajan said during a Legends Club event to celebrate Sachin Tendulkar’s 53rd birthday.
He cautioned against exposing youngsters to tough overseas conditions too soon, especially in places like England where swing can pose a stern test. “But if you send him to England for a first tour where the ball will swing, it will not be a matter of intelligence. If we want him to play Test cricket, we will have to nurture him,” Harbhajan added.
Harbhajan also turned his attention to the broader structure of the game in India, underlining the importance of prioritising Test cricket and preparing pitches that allow matches to last the full five days. He said balanced surfaces would not only test batters more thoroughly but also ensure that bowlers, particularly spinners, do not get excessive assistance.
“I would make a strong recommendation that Test cricket should be the priority, because that is where you get the best cricket and the cricketers. In Test cricket, you get to see the best competition as it lasts for five days and every day, the challenge becomes different,” he said.
“Obviously, a lot of things happen on the pitch, and accordingly, people need to change their mindset and adapt to those conditions and come out as a winner.”
He added that young batters such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre will need to build the temperament required for red-ball cricket, citing Yashasvi Jaiswal as the benchmark among the current generation.
“They (upcoming batters) will have to make a place for themselves and of course create enough buzz that they are good enough to be in the squad for Test cricket,” he added.
“If there is someone who is batting the best among them all is Yashasvi Jaiswal and we are not even talking about him. He has got the perfect mix of what is required in T20s and what is required in Test cricket. He has got the mindset to leave the ball for a session and in the next session he would start scoring runs.”
“There are a very few with that sort of mindset and he (Jaiswal) has made a place for himself. I think Jaiswal, Sooryavanshi and even Ishan Kishan have the same mindset to hit the ball, but at the same time, you need to understand that when the ball moves and conditions differ, you have to have a game where you need to defend the ball,” Harbhajan said.
