Vaibhav Sooryavanshi question to Manu Bhaker sparks fury: 'Everything that’s wrong with Indian sports culture'

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to grow in stature with another splendid show in the ongoing IPL. The 15-year-old prodigy has shown great flair and dominated the best bowlers in business, including Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood, this season.

The teenager has left many cricket greats in awe and Pat Cummins recently remarked that "Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is my new favourite batter." This was after the southpaw slammed a ton, his second in IPL, against Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad albeit in a losing cause.

Also Read | Get his bat checked: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faces ‘AI chip’ allegations from across the border

Manu Bhaker, who was in New Delhi for the 75th year anniversary celebrations of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), was asked about Sooryavanshi on the sidelines of the function on Monday. The only Indian to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Summer Games gave a well measured response to the question, although the question had nothing to do with shooting.

"I would say that if the mentorship is good, the company around is good, the people around are good, then age is just a number," she said.

"And there is no age in talent. Great things happens at 60, it happens in 6. So it is just that if the people around him mentor him very well, guide him, then I am sure he will be the next," she added.

The moment, on expected lines, drew massive criticism from users online, who slammed the choice of question, underlining it was unfair to ask an athlete of Manu's stature about a cricketer, who is yet to make his international debut in the senior side.

The latest incident has once again triggered a long-standing debate around cricket's dominance in the Indian sports ecosystem. While the investment in other sports discipline has witnessed a surge but it won't be wrong to claim they still remain overshadowed by cricket.

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