Mohammad Kaif mentioned one area of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting which needs improvement after he was dismissed for 14 off 10 balls on his international debut.
Sooryavanshi was out stumped by Jos Buttler off the bowling of part-time off-spinner Will Jacks. Kaif said that the 15-year-old might need to improve his batting against off-spin.
"I feel the start was okay. He got out because he does not play off-spin a lot. Even when he opened in the IPL, how many times did he get to face an off-spinner?
This is the problem. It was his first match, and I will not judge. But he might have to work on this," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Abhishek Sharma was getting dismissed frequently by off-spinners during the T20 World Cup earlier this year. However, Kaif noted that the left-handed opener has improved his game against off-spin considerably. The former India batter hoped that Sooryavanshi would work on his flaws before India enters a marquee event.
"Abhishek has become a much better player against the off-spinner. He has shown improvement in his game. Where he had to pause and train for it, he did it. He did it after he got that blow in the World Cup. But this is what I am telling, why wait till the blow? After getting out or losing, you have to work anyway. But a smart person works on this from the start itself," he explained.
But I was the happiest seeing him field for 20 overs: Mohammad Kaif
Kaif, who is considered one of the finest fielders to have represented India, said he was impressed by Sooryavanshi's fielding ability and commended the difficult catch he took under pressure.
"Suryavanshi hits sixes, he has in the IPL also. That is okay. But I was the happiest seeing him field for 20 overs, and he took a difficult catch under pressure. This shows his fielding ability as well. I feel he has the skill to become a good fielder. So I was happy in that sense. He will score runs. That is not the worry. I would say it was a good debut overall," he said.
Sooryavanshi was used mostly as an Impact Player in the IPL. However, Kaif urged the Rajasthan Royals to use him in the field so that he could improve in all aspects of the game.
"We must make him field more in the IPL. We have already judged that maybe he is not a good fielder and have predetermined him as an impact player. Don't do that. The coaches in the IPL have the responsibility to improve a young, exciting player in all aspects," Kaif concluded.
