If I were India coach, I will build the batting line-up around Sooryavanshi: Swann

If there is a competition to find Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s biggest fan, former England off-spinner Graeme Swann will certainly be in the mix.

During a 40-minute media interaction on Sunday, Swann could not stop waxing eloquent about the 15-year-old, even when questions pertaining to other topics were posed at him. Describing Sooryavanshi as a “once in a generation talent”, the 47-year-old felt that a “box-office batter” like him should not be kept away from the India T20I XI for long.

“If I were the Indian captain or coach, I would have Sooryavanshi in immediately. The sooner India plays him, the sooner he gets exposed to international cricket. There is no reason why he cannot be the best player in the world for the next 15 years. He is that good,” Swann said.

The southpaw has been made to wait for his international debut after being benched in the two-match series in Ireland.

“If you look at the XI, there is none who deserves to be dropped based on performances. But you could argue that Sooryavanshi outperformed them all in the IPL. Let us face it; his stats do not lie. So personally, I would build a batting line-up around him.

“The hype around him is real. He can hit the best bowlers all over the park and destroy them. He is not old enough to drive in this country (England) but is old enough to smash the best bowlers.

“He can be an absolute match-winner. When you look at the Indian T20I and ODI teams, they are full of world-class players. The fact that a kid who is more exciting has come along is astonishing,” Swann went on to add.

The Englishman also opined that new skipper Shreyas Iyer will match the high standards set by his predecessors Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

(Watch India vs. England first T20I live on July 1 from 10 p.m. IST on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD & Sony MAX).