'Unbelievably talented'- Sitanshu Kotak praises Vaibhav Sooryavanshi; warns about expecting too much from teenager

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his India A debut in Sri Lanka.

Indian team batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has advised caution over the excitement of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s pending Men in Blue debut. This comes after Sooryavanshi broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record after being picked for the senior India A squad.

The youngster is also part of the Indian T20I squad that will travel to Ireland and England, and also for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.

Sooryavanshi's outstanding performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for the Rajasthan Royals, where he scored 776 runs in 16 games with a strike rate of 237.31, led selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar to confirm that Sooryavanshi forced himself into the squad.

Kotak was all praise for the left-hander, stating that there is no question about Sooryavanshi's extraordinary talent and that it's fascinating to see how the 15-year-old goes about his daily job.

"See, as a batting coach or any coach, it’s always a challenge because at this level the players have their own thinking, their own style, their own way they have succeeded. And then, you try to add something, it always takes time, it always takes trust for them to believe. And for me, it is so important how much you want to add and when you want to add,” Kotak told reporters after India’s win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“I have seen a couple of innings in the U19 Challenger Trophy. But from last year’s IPL and the way he bats, the way he executes those shots, it’s really exciting to be very honest for a 15-year-old. And to all the world-class bowlers, the way he has faced and the way he has succeeded is unbelievable, how talented he is," he added.

Kotak added that he would first like to find out what specifically helps Sooryavanshi before giving him advice on how to develop, so he is not moving forward with any preconceived views.

"So, I am really excited. But personally, we let him come; let’s see what actually helps him. Whenever we observe something, we will definitely try to help him only as much as he needs,” said Kotak.

Sooryavanshi had an off day as he scored only 14 runs in 12 balls on his India A debut against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla in the first game of the one-day tri-series. India A managed to defeat Sri Lanka by 8 runs after a cliffhanger ending to the game.