Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s critics after the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. Many experts and fans questioned Sooryavanshi’s technique against short-deliveries after he returned with scores of 13, 14 and 15 against England.

After he was stumped on his T20I debut in the second game against England, Sooryavanshi was dismissed on short deliveries in the third and fourth game, falling on both occasions to his Rajasthan Royals teammate Jofra Archer.

However, Sooryavanshi returned with scores of 50, 20 and 81 in the three games against Zimbabwe. The youngster scored a total of 151 runs in three matches at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10 against the hosts. Thus, he was awarded Player of the Series for his consistent performances.

“There was nothing different about him. He is the same player. And there is no need for him to show himself differently. Why do we want that? He is a good player as he is. People spoke about the short ball stuff. Did Ricky Ponting never get out to the short ball? We must understand that someone has different strengths and weaknesses. All these things are common. How many times has Vaibhav played Jofra in England before? These are all experiences. We cannot write off anybody just like that. The problem is that expectations from him have skyrocketed, so we want him to perform every game,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.

The former CSK spinner was impressed with the way Sooryavanshi adapted on a slow wicket against Zimbabwe in the third T20I. The youngster got off to a sedate start but he was able to change gears against the hosts.

He added, “I liked the fact that the wicket was a bit slow and the ball was also spinning. He adapted so well. He was going at a much lesser strike rate. He was stepping out and hitting the spinners. All those are very commendable qualities. A small kid can’t hit a spinner while standing on this wicket, so he used his feet. This is a very mature thing. His learning curve is so good that if he sits outside and observes all this, he will become an even stronger player. That was my intention (on saying he can sit out). He is going to be a phenomenal player. Let him evolve, give him time.”

Sooryavanshi would look to carry the good show.