Former South Africa batting great AB de Villiers believes teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has the talent to succeed in all formats, but warned that Test and ODI cricket would present a completely different challenge — mentally and physically — for the 15-year-old prodigy.
The Rajasthan Royals youngster has emerged as one of the biggest talking points of the ongoing Indian Premier League season with his fearless strokeplay. Sooryavanshi has scored 440 runs in 11 innings at an average of 40 and a staggering strike rate of 236.55, including one century and two fifties.
His explosive batting against elite pacers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has already sparked debate over whether he should be fast-tracked into India’s T20I setup.
However, Sooryavanshi’s first-class numbers remain modest. In eight matches, he has managed only 207 runs at an average of 17.25, with just one half-century.
Speaking on the For The Love of Cricket podcast hosted by England pace legend Stuart Broad, De Villiers said the teenager has yet to understand the demands of red-ball cricket.
“At his age, the talent is incredible. But I would like to see him in other formats. In Test cricket, he doesn’t yet know what he is in for,” De Villiers said.
The former South African captain added that Sooryavanshi could enjoy a long and successful career if he chose to specialise purely in T20 cricket, but he hopes the youngster explores the longer formats as well.
“If he starts playing ODIs and especially Test cricket, he will discover a whole different side of his game mentally and physically,” De Villiers said. “He definitely has the talent to overcome the obstacles that may come his way, but it will not be easy. It will be a rocky road.”
De Villiers said he would love to see the teenager eventually represent India in Test cricket.
Sooryavanshi has already dominated age-group and limited-overs cricket. At this year’s Under-19 World Cup, he finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49. His tally included a century, three fifties and a highest score of 175.
The Bihar batter also shattered the tournament record for most sixes, smashing 30 maximums — well clear of Dewald Brevis’ previous record of 18 in 2022.
In U19 ODIs, Sooryavanshi is India’s leading run-scorer with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at an average of 56.48 and a strike rate above 165, including four centuries and seven fifties.
His T20 numbers are equally remarkable. In 28 matches, the left-hander has scored 1,105 runs at an average of 40.92 and a strike rate of 215.39, with four hundreds and three fifties. In List A cricket, he has piled up 353 runs in eight innings at an average of 44.12 and a strike rate of 164.95, including a century and a top score of 190.
Source: Khaleej Times