'At 15, I was still in school': Kieron Pollard makes honest Vaibhav Sooryavanshi admission

NEW DELHI: Young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grab attention in the IPL with his fearless approach, drawing praise from many, including Kieron Pollard.

Speaking ahead of a match, Pollard admitted he is impressed but also urged caution about the hype around such a young player.

“At 15 years, I was still at school, playing club cricket. But, again, it’s exciting. It’s very exciting to see, you know, a young guy taking the world by storm. And he’s using his youthful exuberance to his advantage. And long may that continue for him. And, you know, for Indian cricket as well,” Pollard told reporters.

Pollard stressed that while Sooryavanshi’s rise is exciting, it’s important not to forget how quickly public opinion can change. He warned against celebrating a player only during good phases and then ignoring them during tough times.

“We continue to churn out the talent. And we just need to continue to encourage him. One of the things I always say is Let’s not be on the bandwagon when he’s here. And if you have a couple of failures, and guys sort of figure him out. We then just trim at the wayside. And we forget all about him. I think that’s the biggest fear for me as an individual, being a cricketer. That we all run with the hype," he remarked.

“And then when something happens. And so, again, he’s a talent. He’s doing well. And long may that continue for him.”

Pollard also spoke about the importance of experienced players in the game, especially with stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still going strong.

He said fans should respect veterans and allow them to decide when to step away.

“Everyone has different motivations in playing for a long period of time… Dhoni is still playing at 44… Fortunately, I’m still playing around the world at 39,” he added.

“Again, what we tend to do as well, these guys have done well for cricket overall, but we tend to just look at the age… I believe we should continue to honour these guys… And let them decide when it’s time.”