Praise for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to pour in from some of cricket’s biggest names, and the latest endorsement has come from legendary former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, who believes the teenage sensation possesses the qualities needed for a bright future at the highest level.Lloyd, one of the most respected figures in cricket history and the man who captained the West Indies to World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, was recently asked how the 15-year-old Indian batter would have coped against the fearsome pace attack that dominated world cricket during his era.The 81-year-old led a side featuring some of the game’s most intimidating fast bowlers, including Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft. Reflecting on a hypothetical contest between Sooryavanshi and those legendary quicks, Lloyd felt it would have been a fascinating battle.“Well, he would have had a very good test (laughs), and we would be testing his character, his skills, and so on. He has good eyesight. He is a good striker of the ball. Yeah, so it would be a good test for him and a good test for our bowlers. The point about the bowlers that we had, why it was difficult to decipher what they were doing, because they all did something different. They didn’t do the same thing. So, it would have been a great test,” Lloyd said in an interview with RevSportz.While praising the youngster’s talent, Lloyd also offered an important piece of advice regarding his development. The former West Indies great believes Sooryavanshi’s natural approach should be preserved rather than altered as he progresses through the ranks.“I think this guy’s got ability, and I’m sure that if he continues to play in the manner that he is playing, and that they don’t try to change it, you know, his style of play, I think we have a young man that we will be watching for quite a long while,” he added.Lloyd’s comments come shortly after another extraordinary performance from the teenager. Representing India A in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla on Sunday, Sooryavanshi produced a breathtaking innings that rewrote the record books.The left-hander smashed the fastest fifty in List A cricket history, reaching the milestone in just 11 deliveries. He looked on course for an equally remarkable century and could have matched the fastest hundred in List A cricket, but his innings ended on 94 from only 29 balls. A six off the final delivery he faced would have taken him to the landmark.Following his exploits in Sri Lanka, Sooryavanshi is set to travel to Ireland for India’s upcoming two-match T20I series later this month. With an international debut widely expected during the tour, the teenager’s rapid rise continues to gather momentum, and Lloyd’s vote of confidence only adds to the growing excitement surrounding one of cricket’s most talked-about young talents.
