Teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the toast of the nation for his record-breaking performances in the U19 World Cup 2026, followed by the IPL and his maiden call-up to the senior Indian men's cricket team.
Sooryavanshi earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award at the start of the year, helping India clinch their record-extending sixth ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title. The 15-year-old carried his sensational form into the IPL 2026.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sooryavanshi 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.
Subsequently, the southpaw made history by becoming the youngest player ever selected to India's senior squad, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's 36-year-old record. He has been picked for the away T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the 2026 Asian Games.
Before travelling to Ireland for his maiden series with the senior national team, Sooryavanshi represented India A in the one-day tri-nation A series in Sri Lanka. After registering modest scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38 during the round-robin stage, he lit up the final with a knock of 29-ball 94 against Sri Lanka A, including a record 11-ball fifty, paving the way for India A’s title clinching 66-run victory.
Amid the hype around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s white-ball exploits, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has backed the wonder kid from Bihar to play Test cricket.
Uthappa suggested that rather than utilizing Sooryavanshi as a top-order or opening batter early on, India should ease him into Test cricket at No. 5. He expressed excitement at the thought of pairing him with Rishabh Pant in the middle order.
"He should bat in the middle-order to start off with in his Test career. I would like him to start at No.5 and then slowly transition him up. He looks good to go though in Tests. I would blood him in the next year and a half. He'll eat people up in the middle-order in the subcontinent in Tests. Imagine him and Rishabh Pant batting together in the middle-order. I would pay money just to watch that," Uthappa said while speaking on CommBox TV YouTube channel.
Sooryavanshi’s first-class record is quite modest, yielding just 207 runs at an average of 17.25 across 8 matches. However, the left-hander has expressed his ambition to excel across all three formats for India.
Uthappa emphasized a strategic approach to give Sooryavanshi the best chance to succeed in red-ball cricket.
"You start Vaibhav in the lower middle-order and you can always use him as an opener later. Test cricket is all about confidence. So you blood him in at a position that's as comfortable for him and gives him the best chance to be successful. Once he settles in, he's going to be a blast in Test cricket. Test cricket will ensure he tones down his aggression a bit," Uthappa stated.
"Vaibhav looks like someone who himself knows he's going to do some special things in the sport. That's what stands out about him in his personality," he remarked.
