With India set to take on hosts England in a five-match T20I series, the spotlight will firmly be on teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is poised to make his international debut after a breakoutTATA IPL season. Speaking on Sky Sports, Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Karthik reflected on Rajasthan Royals’ discovery of Sooryavanshi, his fearless mindset, and his rapid rise through the ranks.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Kumar Sangakkara recalled the story of how RR discovered Vaibhav Sooryavanshi:
“In 2023, our analyst Akshay sent us a text about a 12-year-old kid named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He said the boy was incredibly talented and we needed to have a look. His coach Manish Ojha had told Vaibhav’sfather that the kid was ready for the big leagues at just 12. We were surprised at first. Thought it was a joke. But Akshay was very sure, so we brought him in. Rahul Dravid was the head coach at RR then. They watched him for five or six minutes and said,’We have to buy this lad.’ I first saw Vaibhav during a camp in Guwahati. In a small side net, Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma were bowling with the new ball. No one wanted to bat there. Vaibhav walked in and said, ‘I’ll bat.’ The sound off his bat was likea gunshot. He took on Archer and Sandeep with ease. At one point, Archer just stopped and laughed because this 14-year-old was treating him with utter disdain.”
On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s unbelievable confidence in himself:
“I have a story from this season that stands out. We were playing against Lucknow Super Giants. They needed to defend 220 to stay alive in the tournament. We fielded first, and as the chase was about to begin,Vaibhav was walking out to open. Before heading to the middle, he looked at me, winked, and said, ‘Coach, don’t worry. It’s done.’ Then he walked into the dressing room and told Donovan Ferreira and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, ‘Listen you two, I’m going to hit 13sixes today. After that, you just finish the job.’ He ended up hitting 10 sixes in that game. Donovan and Lhuan-dre thought he was joking at first. But when he reached five sixes, they started counting down because they realised he was actually going to doit. That’s the kind of confidence Vaibhav has at just 15 years of age.”
On how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is equipped to handle the fame and attention coming his way:
“I feel Vaibhav will handle all the attention very well. At Rajasthan Royals, we pay a lot of attention to how we manage him and protect him. We keep an eye on him to make sure he stays grounded and focused.He will have many opportunities ahead, in cricket and commercially. How he balances that, and the support he gets from his family and the team, will be crucial. But one thing I can say for sure is that Vaibhav loves batting. He loves the game. The fame andflash don’t really affect him. He is very grounded and curious about many things. He doesn’t just live and breathe cricket all the time. He has space for other things. I have no doubt he will be a force for Indian cricket, world cricket, and in franchise cricket.Mentally, he is in a good place. I think he will deal with everything that comes with fame very well.”
Speaking on Sky Sports, Dinesh Karthik mentioned how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has passed every test thrown at him:
“Vaibhav is a precocious talent at such a young age. Every time he clears one level, we look for the next challenge. First, he did well in the Under-19 World Cup against smaller teams. Then he did well againstmajor teams like Australia and England in the Under-19 World Cup knockouts. Then he came to the IPL 2026 league phase and dominated. Then we thought, let’s see him in big games. In the eliminator, he batted through about 12 overs. If he plays the first 10to 12 overs, he almost sets the game up for his team. He did exactly that. He took down world-class bowlers like Pat Cummins. Every test you can put in front of him, he has passed with flying colours. He is extraordinary. His bat swing is beautiful. Vaibhavis a bit like Jasprit Bumrah, you don’t want to tamper with his natural bowling action and with Vaibhav, he has a great backlift. I hope whoever coaches him from here doesn’t change his bat swing.”
On how difficult it is to bowl to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi:
“At RCB, before our game against RR, we discussed what could be a weakness for this young batter. We felt a perfect yorker or a well-directed bouncer might work. But in Guwahati, nothing worked. Neither Bhuvneshwarnor Hazlewood could get him out, no matter what they tried. Vaibhav is one of the toughest batters to bowl to. This IPL, he was the toughest, in my opinion. The margin for error was very small. He stands with a wide base and strong legs. Anything on the offside,he just throws his hands at it. In the powerplay, with only two fielders outside, it is very hard to stop him. Outside the powerplay, he is smart enough to stick to his strengths. He is not a one-dimensional player. He can take singles and rotate strike, andif you bowl in his zone, he puts you away.”
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