Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his historic India debut in a T20I match against England at Old Trafford last month. The young prodigy failed to make a mark in his maiden series, amassing 42 runs in three innings before being benched for the final game.
While Sooryavanshi delivered Player-of-the-Series performance in the subsequent T20I tour of Zimbabwe, his failure against the English pacers continues to be a topic of debate.
Sooryavanshi earned his senior national call-up on the back of a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign, where he finished as the Most Valuable Player and Orange Cap winner for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), hammering 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30.
However, he failed to carry his sensational form into international cricket. Considering the lukewarm start to his India career, critics have raised doubts regarding the teenager’s longer-format aspirations.
Amid the chatter, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has backed the 15-year-old to excel in both short and long formats, highlighting his courage, mental strength, and ability to thrive in the highly competitive IPL circuit.
"Some people say he may be a short-format player only, but I personally disagree. I believe Vaibhav has the potential to succeed in the longer format of the game as well. Fitness is certainly one part of that, but more than anything, it's about mental strength. One of the things I love about Vaibhav is that, at just 15, he had the courage and commitment to take on a major, show-stopping, blockbuster tournament like the IPL, and not just participate, but thrive in it. That tells me he has many of the right ingredients to become a world-class player," Hayden said, as quoted by ANI.
While Hayden commended Sooryavanshi's development, he acknowledged that the youngster still has work to do at the highest level.
"Vaibhav has an immense pool of talent, and we've all been incredibly excited, whether as broadcasters or coaches, to watch his development. But, as he's found out, at the very highest level, there's still work to do, and I'm sure he'll embrace that. He's a terrific young player with outstanding potential, and ultimately, it will be up to him how he wants to shape his career," the Aussie legend added.
Recently, ex-Australian pacer Brett Lee heaped praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the latter’s domination has people outside India questioning his age in amazement.
"He is incredible. Everyone offshore, away from India, asks the question if he's 15. Is he 15 is probably the biggest talking point around the world. I don't care how old he is. If he's 15, fantastic, but if he's 17 or 18, who cares. This kid can play cricket. He has been such a great find for India, and he's going to go on to achieve bigger and better things," Lee said on the BeerBiceps YouTube channel.
"He has already lit up the IPL in such a short space of time. That 97 he got (vs SRH), he was up against Aussie bowlers. They were bowling gas, and he was hooking them off his nose. He is playing proper cricketing shots and has power that he finds from somewhere. It won't be his form or batting; it'll only be his mind. He still has to be a kid. Let him be a kid and don't put too much pressure," he remarked.
