New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) In an era dominated by hyper-analysis, data tracking, and relentless media scrutiny of teenage prodigies, Rajasthan Royals head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara has revealed they have a ‘no clutter’ policy for teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, adding that sometimes the best thing is to let him be himself.

Sooryavanshi has amassed 440 runs across 11 innings at an impressive average of 40 and a staggering strike rate of 237, punctuated by two half-centuries and a century in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sooryavanshi currently tops the tournament’s six-hitting charts with 40 maximums, leading a high-profile pack that includes Abhishek Sharma (37), Ryan Rickelton (37), Priyansh Arya (32), Mitchell Marsh (31), and Rajat Patidar (31).

“I think handle is a strange word. Vaibhav is a supremely talented batter. He's very young. The key thing for Vaibhav is to enjoy every moment. He'll have good days, he'll have not-so-good days. It's absolutely fine. The worst thing we can do is clutter his mind, and that's something we avoid. We have a conversation with him.

“If he needs it, it's never technical. It's never to do with cricket. Sometimes you've got to get their minds off the game. One thing Vaibhav loves is batting. He loves batting, and that's a great sign to see from a young player. He enjoys playing cricket, but the most important thing about Vaibhav that I've seen is that he reads the game very well.

“So he's a smart little kid, and he'll keep understanding himself and the game and how to be in groups as he grows up. But so far, he's been a wonderful addition to our team, not just in terms of the runs he scores, but around the group. He's held his own with all his senior players. He loves a joke, smiles, and loves a bit of banter, and he's forged some really good relationships. So sometimes the best thing is to let Vaibhav be Vaibhav,” said Sangakkara in the pre-match press conference.

Despite Sooryavanshi's staggering metrics and his ability to pull off astonishing shots that veteran batters struggle to execute in T20s, Sangakkara flatly rejected the notion that the youngster is receiving specialised elite curation or being treated differently than the rest of the squad.

“I think one of the most important things in managing or coaching or whatever it is, is to understand your players. Each player is different, so you can't fit everyone into one box. You've got to first spend enough time with them to understand how they think, what their personalities are, how they react to a challenge, what their emotional intelligence is, all of these things.

“Vaibhav, for being such a young player, is very, very attuned to tactics; he's very attuned to reading bowlers, reading the game. He's very good with his peers and also his older teammates. He's great with internationals. So there's not a lot to do with Vaibhav. Everyone knows how talented he is. I don't have to sit here and tell you he's incredibly good.”

“He's not a special project for us. He's a special player, but we try to treat every single player the same. We're very even-handed in how we treat our players. We're very mindful of the fact that each player is important, especially the players who haven't played as yet. Sometimes they're more important than the ones that play because they bring a lot of energy and support from the outside. So you have to support those players as well. It's not easy, and up to now, Vaibhav's been lovely to have with us,” he added.

However, Sangakkara was quick to issue a realistic reminder that the honeymoon period will eventually evolve into a tactical chess match for Sooryavanshi as opposition video analysts begin to dissect the teenager's game. The key to surviving that transition, according to the legendary wicketkeeper-batter, lies in preserving the inner child within Sooryavanshi, who fell in love with the sport a few years ago.

“But for Vaibhav, this is just the start, and he'll face different challenges as he grows older, as he starts playing more international cricket, as bowlers try to plan against him. The one thing he should never lose is his enjoyment of batting, and he should always bat with the same love he had for this skill. At 12, 13, 14, he's 15 now - he must never lose that love and fun that he has with batting.

“So the thing we try to do with Vaibhav is allow him to be himself. Have him have fun and be light. He loves his batting. So we always say, tell us how much you want to bat. Just make sure that you're not too tired, that you're fresh for a game. Then, in terms of managing him, we try to look after him as well as we do any other player.”

Sangakkara then offered an equally robust defense of wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who started brilliantly as number three batter, but has averaged under 19.7 in his last seven innings.

“I think for Dhruv, it's very simple not to be too hard on himself. I know there are a lot of expectations from around him, a lot of expectations from himself. But you can't beat yourself up about it when things go perfectly well. Nothing really goes perfectly well. Dhruv is, again, a very, very wholesome young man. His head's always in the right place. He's very grounded, very focused on doing everything right, and works hard.

“He's got some great interests outside cricket, one of which is coffee. All he needs to do is bat like Dhruv Jurel. I mean, he's got everything. He's got all the shots. He's superbly fit. He's very good with his gloves. It's just a matter of time. If he just keeps doing what he's doing currently, just keeps that focus, keeps working hard, no one's going to stop him.

“You look at his close friend, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yash is, to me right now, one of the top five most accomplished batters in the world in every format. We're very lucky to have him. So he's got some great cricketers around him that he can feed off, he can talk cricket with.

“He's got some really good staff in Vikram Rathour, Trevor Penney, Sid Lahiri, all of these that he can speak with about batting. You can have all these conversations, but ultimately, making those decisions is up to you. I have no doubt that Dhruv Jurell is destined for very good things in the future, not just in RR colours, but also in Indian colours,” elaborated Sangakkara.

Speaking further on Jaiswal, who’s averaged 18.9 in his last seven innings, Sangakkara highlighted how the left-handed opener provides a completely different kind of tactical reassurance compared to the explosive Sooryavanshi, adding that his ability to grind out runs in hostile environments makes him an interesting case study.

“See, when you focus, I mean, everyone focuses a lot on Vaibhav because he's young, exciting, and does things sometimes other batters can't. But that's the same thing with a batter like Yash. Yash does things other batters can't do - that is just slow runs in any condition against any moving attack, anywhere in the world, at any moment.

“So Yash just knows that he knows how to go at slow runs. Again, his whole experience is an interesting one, even for us as coaches. But I think the players have dealt with it very well. They have great relationships, and Yash is very determined to get back out there and do his best for the side.

“Ultimately, you play cricket, you have to be able to take responsibility for what you do for your side. Sometimes that means doing well for yourself because it helps the side, and Yash just needs to keep focused, smile, relax, and enjoy his batting. Every time he does that, he does well for us.”

--IANS

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