Biggest challenge for Sooryavanshi is coping with failures: Upton

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rise over the last few months has been nothing short of remarkable.

The 15-year-old went from being one of India’s brightest young prospects to an IPL sensation, finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer and earning a maiden call-up to the senior team. But as he prepares for the tour of Ireland and England, renowned mental-conditioning coach Paddy Upton believes the teenager’s biggest battle may not be on the cricket field.

“For me, in terms of his on-field performance, as was repeatedly demonstrated in the IPL, he’s got the right mindset to deliver in the big moments. That’s pretty clear,” Upton told The Hindu.

The former India support staff, however, warned against expecting Sooryavanshi’s stunning IPL form to continue indefinitely.

“Nobody continues on a hot run of form,” Upton said. “He’s had a seriously hot run in the IPL. It’s almost impossible to expect that to continue. I would prepare him for a few low scores, some failures and some results not going his way. That’s absolutely normal and to be expected.”

The southpaw has already experienced that in the ongoing tri-nation tournament for India-A, where he has shown flashes of brilliance without converting starts into substantial scores.

“The failure is not going to be the problem,” Upton said. “How does he manage himself around the failure? How does he manage himself around all the criticism and noise that are going to come when he inevitably has a poor run of form?”

For Upton, the greater concern lies away from the middle.

“His single biggest challenge, I believe, is how he manages the external noise away from the playing arena,” he said. “Some of the mentally strongest athletes in the world still get derailed by external expectations, judgement and pressure.”

Upton also pointed to the dangers of sudden fame. “So many people crowd around young superstars and want a piece of the action,” he said.

If there is one lesson Upton wants Sooryavanshi to learn early, it is simple.

“I would prepare him for failure,” he said. “Because that’s going to come, whether it comes now or later”.