Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the recently concluded IPL season. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the 15-year-old became the youngest Orange Cap winner and Most Valuable Player, amassing 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30 with one hundred, five fifties and a record 72 sixes.
Following his unprecedented dominance in the IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi earned his maiden senior national call-up to India's T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as for the 2026 Asian Games.
Sooryavanshi is currently representing India A in the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka. While the teenager scored 14 off 12 balls during the series opener against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla, he smashed 44 off 22 balls with 9 fours in the second match against Afghanistan A at the same venue.
The swashbuckling left-hander’s latest knock left a lasting impression on former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Manjrekar wrote: "India A are playing a tri-series in Sri Lanka, and I am watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi quite closely. Whatever name he has made till now, it has been in the IPL and in T20Is, and that is not the right environment to diagnose a player. I know that this is just an 'A' series, but the pitches are not flat here, like it is in the IPL. But I was able to see some depth in Suryavanshi's batting."
Manjrekar emphasized that Sooryavanshi is not simply a "T20 slogger", while also pointing out the southpaw’s temperament and ability to adapt indicate he could thrive in ODI cricket.
"Now I am a bit excited after seeing his batting. If you are thinking that he is just a T20 slogger, then you are wrong. I saw him defend quite well with a straight bat, I have seen him time the ball well. I know the sample size is small, but I think he can be a 50-over phenomenon as well," he added.
Sooryavanshi is likely to make his senior Indian team debut during the T20I series against Ireland, slated to begin on June 26 in Belfast.
