HARARE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's much-hyped India debut may not have gone to script in England, but Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza sees the 15-year-old as a potential "generational talent" if handled well.
The batting prodigy scored 14, 13 and 15 in three T20Is as India suffered a 0-4 series defeat. In two of those innings, he was undone by Jofra Archer's short-ball.
"Vaibhav is a supremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old kid is playing international cricket, criticising him after just two or three matches isn't justified," Raza said on JioStar.
"I think Vaibhav has a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and handled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent."
The left-hander will now return to familiar surroundings in Harare, where he had lit up the Under-19 World Cup in January with a match-winning 80-ball 175 against England in the final.
With no Sanju Samson in the squad, Sooryavanshi is set to get an extended run at the top of the order in the the series beginning on Thursday.
"To see what he has done over the last year, what he has done for India Under-19, and the fact that he made his international debut at the same age, these are no small feats by any means.
"You don't get to hear such stories nowadays. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is managed and handled," he added.
Raza further dismissed any talk of India being overwhelming favourites, insisting the upcoming series will be a closely-fought contest.
Zimbabwe are sensing an opportunity against an Indian side looking to bounce back from a difficult white-ball tour of Ireland and England.
"Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure about is that because Zimbabwe has been playing very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say this for sure that this series will be very entertaining," Raza told Star Sports.
Zimbabwe's memorable 23-run upset of Australia at the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo in February sent shockwaves through the tournament, with the defeat ultimately contributing to Australia's stunning group-stage elimination.
They have also secured victories against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year.
"As far as winning or losing is concerned, both countries have an equal chance to win the series," said Raza, the veteran all-rounder who has played 136 T20Is.
He further said India play a very aggressive brand of cricket, and they take the game away from you.
"As far as their batting line-up is concerned, if it clicks on the day, they'll bat you out of the game. But with high-risk cricket, sometimes it doesn't come off, and when that happens and the total isn't as big, the other team does have a chance."
He added that the Indian cricket was going though a transition phase, which will make the series interesting.
"Yes, India is going through a transition and to some extent you'll see Zimbabwe is also going have a little bit of transition happening as well. I don't see it as a one-sided series," he said.
He also spoke on India-Zimbabwe cricketing ties that keep getting stronger.
"India has been a great friend to Zimbabwe cricket. From the players' point of view, it's about the growth of the players and the exposure they get from playing against the world champions, as India are."
The second and third T20I will be played at the same venue on July 25 and 26.