Captain Zimbabwe Sikandar Raza has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to emerge as a “generational talent”, urging people not to judge the 15-year-old after a difficult start to his international career. Sooryavanshi endured a tough T20I debut in England, scoring 14, 13 and 15 in three appearances as India went down 0-4. The young opener also struggled against it Jofra Archer‘s short-ball, falling to the England pacer twice during the series. Despite the modest returns, Raza believes the youngster has the ability to become one of the game’s brightest stars if his development is managed carefully. “Vaibhav he is a supremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old is playing international cricket, criticizing him after just two or three matches is not justified,” Raza told JioStar. “I think Vaibhav has a lot of good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and handled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent.” The India opener now returns to Harare, a place that holds special memories for him after his remarkable 175 from 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final in January helped India lift the title. With Saint Samson unavailable for the Zimbabwe tour, Sooryavanshi is expected to get another opportunity at the top of the order when the three-match T20I series gets underway on Thursday. Raza said the teenager’s rise through the ranks at such a young age is already an extraordinary achievement and stressed the importance of nurturing his talent. “To see what he has done in 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. “You don’t hear such stories today. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is managed and treated,” he added. Ahead of the series, Raza dismissed suggestions that India will start as overwhelming favorites despite Zimbabwe facing the reigning T20 world champions. “Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure of is that, because Zimbabwe has played very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say this for sure that this series will be very entertaining,” Raza told Star Sports. Zimbabwe go into the contest with confidence after a string of impressive results, including a memorable 23-run win over Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo in February, a result that played a key role in Australia’s surprise upset. They also recorded wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year. “Whether we win or lose, both countries have an equal chance of winning the series,” said Raza, who has represented Zimbabwe in 136 T20Is. The experienced all-rounder acknowledged India’s fearless approach, saying he can overwhelm opponents or leave the door open if things don’t go according to plan. “As for their batting line, if you click on the day, they will knock you out of the game. But with high-risk cricket, sometimes it doesn’t come out, and when that happens and the total is not that big, the other team has a chance.” Raza also said both teams are currently in transition, making the contest more balanced than many expected. “Yes, India is going through a transition and to some extent you will see that Zimbabwe will also have a bit of a transition happening as well. I don’t see it as a one-sided series,” he said. He also praised the long-standing relationship between the two cricketing nations and the value of facing one of the world’s leading teams. “India has been a great friend of Zimbabwean cricket. From the players’ point of view, it is about the growth of the players and the exposure they will get playing against the world champions, like India.” The remaining two matches of the series will also be played in Harare on July 25 and 26.