Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, finally made his international debut in second T20I between India and England at Manchester on Saturday (Jul 4).
The 15-year-old was handed the chance after his sensational IPL 2026 where he won the orange cap for most runs with 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237 and an average of 48.50. Sooryavanshi’s rise has been phenomenal which started from being picked up in the auction before IPL 2025 by Rajasthan Royals. He has also performed very well in age group cricket for India U-19 but the question is – would he able te get the same success in international cricket or this early debut will bring more pressure for him?
Will Sooryavanshi thrive in international cricket?
In his debut innings, Sooryavanshi scored only 14 runs off 10 balls but still managed to hit two sixes – one to Jofra Archer and another to Josh Tongue – both express bowlers able to trouble batters with pace. Sooryavanshi was nonchalant and confident in his brief innings, but would he be able to continue like this?
WION spoke to cricket coach Rampukar Kushwaha who trains budding cricketers of same age and asked him if the early debut is an advantage for Sooryavanshi or it is going to put pressure on him.
The coach’s reply was simple: “Give him all the freedom. At the age of 15, all he needs is freedom to play. If he’s told too many things, then he might start overanalysing things and that could hamper his performance.”
Coach Ram also spoke about how different it is to play for the country and for the franchise: “Playing for India and for a franchise are two completely different things. Sooryavanshi was given a lot of freedom to play his natural game in IPL and that’s what made him successful. To replicate the same level of success at the international level, he will need more freedom because playing at the international level comes with its own set of pressure.”
How has Sooryavanshi performed so far?
Sooryavanshi is known for his attacking style and it is visible in his strike rate across the formats. In List A (50-over) cricket, he has played 13 matches and scored 564 runs at a strike rate of 177. In all T20s, he has hit 1,491 runs at a strike rate of 219. He also has four hundreds, six fifties, and 136 sixes to his name in T20s. In First Class (red-ball), Sooryavanshi has played 12 innings in eight matches, scoring 207 runs at a strike rate of 90 – way higher than the average in the format.
In IPL, Sooryavnshi has played 23 matches and scored 1,028 runs at a strike rate of 229 – all for Rajasthan Royals. He also has two hundreds and six fifties to his name in IPL along with 96 sixes as well.
Weather of not Sooryavanshi is able to make the most of his career is remains to be seen, but he sure has the talent, skill, and confidance to succeed.