NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's sensational IPL 2026 campaign has sparked a growing debate over whether the 15-year-old batting prodigy should be fast-tracked into India's senior T20I side. The teenager from Bihar's Samastipur took the tournament by storm, smashing 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike rate of 237.31. He also rewrote the record books by hitting 72 sixes during the season, finishing as the Orange Cap winner and the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
With Sooryavanshi already part of the India A squad touring Sri Lanka, calls for his inclusion in India's upcoming T20I series against Ireland later this month have only grown louder. Several former cricketers have backed the youngster for an immediate promotion to the senior side. India are scheduled to play two T20Is in Ireland, starting June 26.
Former India batter
Sanjay Manjrekar, however, has urged caution.
"Vaibhav would be the next in line after the incumbents, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. But I would like to see Vaibhav play in similar batting conditions to those in the IPL, if they pick him for India at all," Manjrekar told Sportstar.
The former India cricketer believes it would be premature to expose Sooryavanshi to challenging overseas conditions straight away.
"Would not be a great idea to put him straight into, you know, foreign kind of, on a foreign pitch, like New Zealand, South Africa, overseas. He might go out there and repeat what he has done in the IPL. But, yeah, it's a tough one when you look at the contenders. Whether Gill is in front or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, it's a tough call to make. So, let it happen organically and see how it goes," he said.
Manjrekar also pointed out how quickly perceptions can change in T20 cricket.
"Few months and things changed. No one talking about Abhishek Sharma," he remarked.
While impressed by Sooryavanshi's explosive batting, Manjrekar said the youngster's long-term future should be guided by his own ambitions rather than public expectations.
"If he wants to just be a T20 sensation and focus on T20 cricket, so be it. And that shouldn't be held against him. But then you'll be judged only as a T20 phenomenal player. He plays 50-over cricket, and I think there's great value in certain conditions for him to bat in the first 10 overs and do what Rohit Sharma did in the 2023 World Cup. Even better than Rohit," Manjrekar said.
The former batter also highlighted several aspects of Sooryavanshi's game that have stood out during his breakthrough season.
"For me, my problem with predicting the future of a certain player, you see the potential. What I will take from his performances is phenomenal for somebody who's really young and he's got some hitting talent, he's got some great ball sense. He also has the range as we saw in the last show, you know, he hits it everywhere around the park."
Manjrekar was particularly impressed by the youngster's fearless approach and willingness to put the team's interests ahead of personal milestones.
"Three times he's got out in the 90s. So he's somebody who doesn't care about hundreds and every time he's got out playing the big shot. So that's the thing to like about. If somebody is selfless and doesn't care about milestones, he's not going to be wasting too many balls."
He also noted Sooryavanshi's maturity in adapting to match situations.
"Even in that final playoff game you could see him just, you know, toning down his batting a little bit because Rajasthan Royals were losing wickets. So there are a lot of things to like about."
For now, Manjrekar believes the cricketing world should enjoy the teenager's rise without rushing to draw conclusions about his future.
"But what I can say with surety at this stage is that he had a phenomenal IPL season. Tremendous batting performances, consistency, big scores and for someone so young, you know, well done. I'm sure he must have been the most dangerous batter this season for any opposition.
"And I'm just going to stop there and see how this story unfolds going forward," he said.
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