I did a piece on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi last year saying he needs to deal with failures better. The gestures when he got out to Pakistan in the U-19 Asia Cup final weren’t warranted, for in sport you will always lose more. While there is no doubting his talent, temperament is as important for a young sportsperson.
A lot of trolls had a lot to say on the piece. While I am used to trolling, the larger point is alarming. These are the people who make these youngsters feel larger than life. They are not. Vaibhav has to be rooted to be able to realise his full potential and I am sure the eco-system around him will help him do so.
Today it happened again. From what I understand from my correspondent in Sri Lanka, Vaibhav was provoked. He was told something on the lines that this isn’t IPL and international cricket is different. Whatever be the case, Vaibhav felt provoked and got into an argument. In doing so, he loses out. India lose out. It will be easy for people to paint him as temperamental and that’s no good.
The BCCI, I was told last year, had taken notice. It is a need of the hour, and only then can things be addressed.
When Vaibhav plays the IPL, he is paid top dollar. He is a hugely talented cricketer and is treated as such. So why is it that he will have to be treated as a teenager if he makes a mistake? There can’t be double standards and it is as essential to point things out as it is to celebrate him. The job of the media is to hold up the mirror and that’s what we will continue to do.
The problem with us is the moment you are critical or raise a critical point, a section of the trolls will jump on you. It is indeed tough to deal with abuse and for many the easy way out is to not write critical columns. That’s when we do disservice to the profession. While we celebrate Vaibhav and we will for sure, it is also necessary to point out where he can get better.
The England tour is just round the corner. India will need a fully focused Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Teams will now know that they can get under his skin and try and sledge him as well. That’s where he needs to keep calm.
Let me give you a Sachin Tendulkar example. In 1992, Sachin was 19 when he went to Australia. In one of the games, a young Australian cricketer was continuously sledging him. At one point a very calm Sachin called him and said that while a young Tendulkar was already playing for India, the player in question had not yet gone past New South Wales. He should sledge only when he makes the Test team. Sachin wasn’t angry and yet the job was done.
Vaibhav, much younger than Sachin, needs to take a leaf out of the great man’s book. He can’t get angry on the sports field. For that’s when he will lose perspective. I am sure he will learn from today’s incident. Each one of us makes mistakes. And he isn’t any different. To learn and get better is the way ahead. And not let the “Oh you are great brigade get to your head”.
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