Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the Player of the Series in Zimbabwe T20i series.
Saikia, India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Center of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman, and other senior officials attended the high-level BCCI review meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. Among the topics discussed was Sooryavanshi's quick rise.
The BCCI is now determined to make sure that the teenager's growth is handled properly rather than letting the weight of expectation derail his progress. The teenager has already gone from being an IPL sensation to becoming India's youngest men's international debutant.
“We want Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, or any player of his stature, to continue and serve as Sachin Tendulkar did for the country, or like other players who in the past became legends. So, we look at Vaibhav in a very serious manner. He's monitored from every angle and every step he is taking forward in his international career. The BCCI is taking a very close look at his future,” Saikia said as per ANI.
Saikia also stated that the BCCI wants to focus on maximizing Sooryavanshi’s long-term potential instead of focusing on his immediate impact.
“You see, the BCCI can be proud that we are promoting a player of the age of 15 years who is already making his mark in the international scenario, and we are very cautious that every right step he should take forward so that it should not be a one-series or one-year wonder,” he said.
Saikia also compared Sooryavanshi with Tendulkar, who, like the 15-year-old, made his India debut quite young and went on to have a legendary career. The BCCI secretary stressed that Sooryavanshi's progress would be closely tracked at every stage.
“We want Vaibhav's relevance, or any player of his stature, to continue and serve as Sachin Tendulkar did for the country or other players who in the past became legends,” Saikia said.
At just 14 years old, Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut and made a significant impact by scoring a century in IPL 2025. He continued his good form in IPL 2026, scoring 776 runs, including one century and five fifties, including three scores in the 90s. He subsequently won several awards, including the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes honors.
While his India debut came against England in T20Is, his impact was seen in Zimbabwe T20Is, where he smashed two fifties and scored 151 runs, helping India sweep the series 3-0.
The focus of BCCI extends beyond Sooryavanshi. Saikia disclosed that a greater number of up-and-coming players Saikia revealed that the board has identified and is monitoring a larger pool of emerging players. identified by the board and are being observed by the CoE.
“Our selectors are actively looking at a large number of upcoming players who are performing well. If you look at our U19 Indian team, they have become champions recently also. Similarly, in women's cricket also, we have been world champions for the last two international U19 T20 World Cups.
So, we are looking at all the players, not only Vaibhav's relevance, but there are about 10-15 players who are in our targeted group. Those are named in our targeted group list, and they are constantly monitored by our COE head, VVS Laxman, who is taking keen interest in their future and their training and skill development,” Saikia said.
Sooryavanshi will be in action when India takes on Afghanistan in three T20Is in September in Delhi.
(ANI inputs)