Sridhar addressed the urgent need to improve the fielding skills of 15-year-old batting prodigy.
Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has expressed concerns regarding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s athletic development, particularly noting how frequently the 15-year-old has been used as an "Impact Player" and subbed out during IPL matches.
Sridhar emphasizes that Sooryavanshi is "still a kid" who cannot be left entirely to his own to manage workloads, even within an elite, professional environment.
He strongly believes a dedicated mentor or coach needs to run an "honest program" and build a strict schedule for Sooryavanshi. This routine must push the teenager hard in practice so that he is physically prepared to field a full match rather than relying on being substituted, which Sridhar warns "is not a great sign" for a player so young.
"He's 15. So, you're still a kid, right? So, someone there has to really run his program, a really honest program, I feel. I mean, although he's in an international elite environment where athletes are aware of what they need to do, and how they need to manage their workloads," quoted Sridhar in a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
"But someone as young as 15 sometimes needs to be told. So, I think someone there has to make a schedule for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, where he has to deal with a lot in practice and make himself ready to field in the match as well, because at 15, if you are being subbed out, it's not a great sign," he added.
Sridhar said the aim should be to transform Sooryavanshi into an elite, three-format international fielder by the time he turns 18 or 19.
During the Asian Games gold medal match against Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, the young prodigy had a dangerous collision with teammate Ravi Bishnoi while attempting a catch, highlighting lapses in outfield communication and positioning.
"So obviously, I think by 18 or 19, you would want Vaibhav to evolve as a very, very good fielder. We saw that he had a near mishap in that Asian Games 2026 Final. That was a near mishap, which could have really caused an injury, so these are the things that need to be addressed," Sridhar stated.
"Somebody has to take Vaibhav and ensure that he's practicing fielding every day. He can bowl a bit of left arm spin, but we'll save that for later. But now it is very clear from my part that he has to work very hard on his fielding, and someone has to tell that to him," he further remarked.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned his maiden call-up to the senior Indian men's cricket team following his stunning exploits in the IPL 2026. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), he won the Orange Cap and was named the Most Valuable Player for scoring 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred, five half-centuries and a record 72 sixes in an IPL season.
Sooryavanshi has represented India in 8 T20Is so far, scoring 246 runs at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 186.36, including two half-centuries.