Former India head coach Greg Chappell has warned BCCI about managing 14 year old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young left hander had come in the spolight after being picked by the Rajasthan Royals at the IPL auction and later with his thrilling century against the Gujrat Titans this IPL season.
Chapell warned that while Suryavanshi bats with the authority of a man twice his age, he is “still a child – physiologically, neurologically, emotionally.”
“His brain is still wiring itself, his values still forming, his identity still fragile. In that context, such acclaim, such expectation, such public adulation, can become a double-edged sword.” Chapell noted in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
He added that child prodigies can be a ‘double narrative’, giving hope and a sense of wonder to fans but also being forced to carry burdens that they are not equipped to handle.
To make his point, Chapell gave the example of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, one of them suceeded while the other failed to balance fame with discipline.
“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 added.
BCCI must protect Vaibhav Suryavanshi:
Chapell added that it is incumbent on the cricket board along with other stakeholders to protect the young cricket prodigy. He noted, “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,”.
The former Indian coach suggests a few ways to protect young and rising talent in cricket. First, he says there should be licensed child psychologists as part of every elite youth programme.
Second, he adds that commercial interests must come second to the mental health of players and contracts should mandate educational continuation. Moreover, he adds that family and trusted adults of of the cricketer must remain central to decision making process of the child and not just cheerleaders.
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