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The word from Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Rahul Dravid is that they're definitely not ruling out the possibility of their 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, taking the field in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. However, Dravid made it very clear that they want to give this young talent some breathing room to get used to the intense atmosphere of the tournament. As RR gear up for their big battle against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 30, Rahul Dravid said that they aren't looking to make too many experimental changes to their team lineup, especially not with someone as new to this level as Vaibhav.
Give Vaibhav Suryavanshi a little bit of time in the environment: Rahul Dravid
RR turned heads when they picked up Vaibhav Suryavanshi for a whopping sum of Rs 1 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Speaking at the press conference before the CSK game, Dravid explained how important it is to get the timing right for Vaibhav's IPL debut and expressed confidence that the team management won't rush him into it.
"He is training really well, and he looks like a really good and exciting talent but there are other equally good players as well and part of our responsibility is to groom him well, give him a little bit of time in the environment, let him get used to it and practice with the players, let him get a feel of the environment, all these are great experiences for him, rather than putting him straight in front of the crowd so it's a part of the process we follow in grooming a player and if an opportunity arises we won't be scared to play him if it is required," Dravid said in the pre-match press conference.
Rajasthan Royals has gotten off to a shaky start to IPL 2025, having faced losses against both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in their first two matches. With their regular captain, Sanju Samson, focusing solely on his batting due to injury concerns, Riyan Parag has stepped up to lead the team as the stand-in captain for the first three matches.
Dravid also talked about Riyan Parag's new role as the no. 3 batter. He said that he has full confidence in him, even though Parag has only managed scores of 4 and 25 in their first two matches. The head coach emphasised that Parag's potential is clear and believes he'll definitely find his groove as the tournament moves forward.
"Look, Riyan [Parag] is one of our best batters, let's be honest. And we want to give him as many balls as we possibly can. Twenty overs is a very short time and the more balls Riyan Parag bats for us, the better it is for us as a team. But honestly, the move to No. 3 was a positive move to try and give him more time to bat. And we know how destructive a player he is and if he gets more time, then he can score more runs and that can benefit the team. And I think he's quite comfortable, he's more than capable of batting at any position," Dravid concluded.
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