Freedom key to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's success with Indian team: Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya has urged India to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the freedom to play his natural game, calling the teenager a good investment for the future. The former Sri Lanka captain also shared his views on Abhishek Sharma and the growing dominance of batters in white-ball cricket.India need to let Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play his natural game: Sanath Jayasuriya. (Courtesy: PTI)New Delhi,Oct 31, 2026 08:35 ISTFormer Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya believes India should allow Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play his natural game rather than burden the young batter with expectations. Calling the 15-year-old a "good investment" for the future of Indian cricket, Jayasuriya said nurturing his talent and giving him the freedom to express himself would be important for his development.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the jersey launch of the Indian Softball Cricket League teams Mumbai Royals and Maharashtra Super Strikers, Jayasuriya said Sooryavanshi had a long way to go but showed plenty of promise."He has a long way to go but he is a good future for India. Let him play his natural game and let him do his work and it will be a good investment for Indian cricket," Jayasuriya said.Sooryavanshi has attracted considerable attention with his aggressive batting, and Jayasuriya believes India have a promising young talent on their hands. The former Sri Lanka opener stressed that the focus should be on allowing him to develop without interfering with his natural approach. JAYASURIYA IMPRESSED WITH ABHISHEK SHARMAJayasuriya also praised India's batting talent and singled out Abhishek Sharma for his all-round ability with the bat. The former Sri Lanka captain said the left-hander's biggest strength was his ability to score runs all around the ground."(They are all) talented cricketers, they are playing well. India has got the talent and he is playing good cricket at the moment," he said. "There are quite a few Indian players who have been doing well, good to see them, they are talented and they work hard and are playing well. He (Abhishek) is an all-round player, you cannot say anything in specific is strong - he is an all-round player. He can play in any part of the park so that is a good thing," Jayasuriya added.SRI LANKA LOOKING FORWARD TO INDIA TOURThe former Sri Lanka captain also expressed confidence in his team's preparations ahead of their white-ball tour of India in December. Sri Lanka are set to face Pakistan in the final of the ongoing tri-series, which also features England, and Jayasuriya believes the team's performances in the competition have provided a timely confidence boost."It's a good confidence (booster) for the Sri Lankan team which is doing well before they come to India. The confidence is high, they are playing well and I hope they will do well in India too," he said.Sri Lanka recently produced a remarkable performance in ODI cricket, successfully chasing a target of 430 runs against England to register the second-highest successful run chase in the format's history.Jayasuriya welcomed the increasing dominance of batters in white-ball cricket, saying the ability of teams to chase down massive totals had made the game more exciting."It's very good to see that it is happening and players are getting runs on the board and chasing it, which is good for cricket," he said.The former opener added that the growing confidence among batting sides had also created challenges for bowlers, with teams increasingly willing to chase big targets."Teams and players are getting more and more confident and that is the key. Anything is possible these days and it is good to see that teams are putting runs on the board and even chasing, but I can see that is also putting the bowlers under pressure," he said.Jayasuriya also pointed to changes in playing conditions and regulations as factors contributing to the evolving nature of white-ball cricket.- Ends