“I think he has just picked himself really,” Agarkar said. “With his performances, he has almost forced us to pick him with how well he has played. For a young kid… I don’t need to talk about how well he is playing. And it’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start [to his IPL career] last season.
“And to back it up for a young kid in a competition that’s as competitive and has a high-pressure environment, and how explosive he can be and a game-changer that he can be. Like everyone else that has watched T20 cricket in India, we have got high hopes of him.”
“With regards to red ball, I mean, he’s a kid. He’s just starting his journey, and I’m sure when the domestic season starts and he plays for his team, plays a bit of red-ball cricket, we will wait and observe. At this point why jump the gun?”
Ajit Agarkar
“I know his age, and how young he is, and how early in his career but two IPLs in a row [he has done well],” Agarkar said. “We know what he was doing at the Under-19 level, and that’s probably perhaps a step down to what the IPL is or slightly lower. [than what] senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has. We’re hopeful that if and when he gets an opportunity to actually play for the country, he shows us the same sort of ability that he’s shown.
“Obviously, there will be tougher challenges when he plays for the country, but he’s shown great promise and temperament. We always deliberate because there’s so much talent around, especially when it comes to T20 cricket at this point. But it tells you a lot that his performances have made us pick him, and we’re very hopeful.”
Agarkar, however, said it was too early to discuss Sooryavanshi’s prospects in Tests. In eight first-class matches so far, he has 207 runs, including a best of 93.
“I just explained his performances have made us pick him in the format that he’s excelled over the last couple of seasons of the IPL,” Agarkar said. “With regards to red ball, I mean, he’s a kid. He’s just starting his journey, and I’m sure when the domestic season starts and he plays for his team, plays a bit of red-ball cricket, we will wait and observe. At this point why jump the gun?
“We’re very excited with what he’s doing in T20 cricket. And hopefully, you know, us as selectors or the BCCI and the coaching staff can help him push in the right direction. At this point, we’re just focused on what he can bring to the T20 team, and we’ll take one step at a time.”
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Sudarshanan7
