BCCI instructed to protect Vaibhav Suryavanshi like Sachin Tendulkar, can't afford Vinod Kambli, Prithvi Shaw downfall

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has shown the cricketing world once again that age is just a number and if you possess a special talent, there is no stopping you. In every generation, we witness a breakout star through domestic cricket, while in recent times, it's the Indian Premier League where the talent gets the opportunity to showcase themselves on a bigger stage in front of a wider audience. The 14-year-old shattered the record books with his 35-ball century, which stunned the cricketing world. Playing his first IPL season at such a young age, Vaibhav put his name in the record books with the second-fastest century in the tournament's history. BCCI instructed to 'nurture' Vaibhav Suryavanshi like Sachin Tendulkar, avoid Vinod Kambli, Prithvi Shaw-like downfall(AFP, Getty and IPL)

However, former India coach Greg Chappell has issued a big warning to the BCCI about managing Vaibhav. India has witnessed the humongous rise of child prodigy Sachin Tendulkar, but it has also witnessed the likes of Vinod Kambli and Prithvi Shaw failing to fulfil their true potential.

“Sachin Tendulkar succeeded as a teenager not simply due to talent but because of a solid support system - a stoic temperament, a wise coach, a family that protected him from the circus. On the other hand, Vinod Kambli, equally talented and perhaps more flamboyant, struggled to balance fame and discipline. His fall was as dramatic as his rise. Prithvi Shaw is another wunderkind who has fallen but may yet find a way back to the pinnacle,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

Kambli and Tendulkar burst onto the scene together while the latter became the one of the greatest ever to play the game, while the left-handed turned into a forgotten star. The Master Blaster rewrote cricketing history during his illustrious career with a total of 34,357 runs in international cricket across all formats (Test, ODI, and T20). He amassed 15,921 runs in Tests and 18,426 runs in ODIs, he also took part in one T20I, scoring 10 runs.

On the other hand, Kambli only managed to play 17 Tests and 104 ODIS; he did witness a big rise on his arrival and became the first Indian to achieve consecutive double centuries in Test matches, scoring 224 against England at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and 224 versus Zimbabwe in Delhi. However, the inconsistent performance cut short his journey with the Indian team. The former cricketer failed to manage things off the field and developed an alcohol addiction, which contributed to numerous health issues over the past decade. In December last year, he was hospitalised due to a decline in his condition but was discharged after spending over a week under medical care.

Prithvi also witnessed a similar drop in his career after being identified as a child prodigy at a very young age in Mumbai. He led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2018, but in the current times, he is nowhere in the scheme of things for the senior team, while the players who played under him - Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh - have already achieved the superstar tag in the cricketing world. Started off his international career with the best possible way - scoring a century on debut vs WI, Shaw was touted to be the future of Indian cricket. However, the indiscipline, fitness concerns and his off-field controversy impacted his career in a massive way as he even failed to get a bid in the IPL mega auction this year and went unsold while a 14-year-old Vaibhav is owning the big stage.

“Talent can't be bubble-wrapped”

The veteran Australian cricketer talked about the importance of the young talent to to get nurture the right way.

“These stories don't question the ability of youth, but they challenge the wisdom of how that ability is nurtured - or exploited,” he added.

Chappell told the BCCI, IPL franchise and media to take care of Vaibhav and not exploit him by marketing , but instead should focus on nurturing his talent

“It is incumbent on the cricketing ecosystem - the BCCI, the franchises, mentors, and the media - to protect him. Talent can't be bubble-wrapped, but it can be provided a buffer. It must be guided, not glorified; nurtured, not just marketed,” he said.

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