Sooryavanshi has 404 runs in ongoing IPL 2026 at a stirke rate of 237.64 including one century.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has talked about the growing hype around the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and the growing noise about how he should be elevated to the Indian team in international cricket.
Sooryavanshi became the youngest and fastest batter to score 400 runs in a single edition of the IPL. Sooryavanshi has 404 runs in 10 games for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, with one century and 2 fifties at a strike rate of 237.64.
Apart from his brilliance in T20s and in the IPL, Sooryavanshi has done well at the U19 level, including a record 175 in the U-19 World Cup final earlier this year.
Manjrekar agreed to the rumors that the Indian Board of Control for Cricket would expedite his entry into the national team following the IPL as a result of such performances.
“Looking at the IPL as a platform to stake a claim for the Indian T20 team and keeping an eye on his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well, where he has a hundred [vs. Maharashtra], I think he’s done enough. If someone is lighting up this stage like this, then he’s ready,” he said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
However, he admitted that with India already having a long queue of openers, including Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sooryavanshi’s inclusion may not be straightforward.
“He might be ready, but are the others ready to make way? Because there is a huge crowd for the opening slots in India,” he added.
Manjrekar also pointed out that Sooryavanshi belongs to the new wave of cricketers, who have an aggressive batting outlook and thrive on a boundary-hitting approach suited to T20 cricket.
He also stated that Sooryavanshi’s batting style has him playing away from the body to free his arms, but such a technique might not be suited to Test cricket.
"Take consistent T20 batters in recent years; Sooryavanshi stays leg-side and hits a ball on the middle stump through point because he creates that room. In Test cricket, the advice is to get close to the ball. You won’t get runs in England, Australia, or South Africa by staying away from it,” he explained.
Manjrekar came to the conclusion that although T20 cricket might lead to fame and financial success, Test cricket still deserves respect, which will necessitate technical changes.
“If you want your kid to be famous and rich, T20 batting is for you. If you want him to earn respect from people like us, the critics, then he has to get close to the line of the ball,” he said.