Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is already being tipped as one of India's brightest prospects in white-ball cricket. At just 15, he earned his maiden India call-up after impressive performances in Under-19 cricket, the IPL and for India A, making it difficult for the selectors to overlook his talent. His international career began with a challenging tour of England, where he found runs hard to come by, but the youngster responded in impressive fashion. He bounced back with a memorable series against Zimbabwe, finishing as the Player of the Series after producing a string of match-winning performances. The turnaround not only underlined his ability to handle setbacks but also strengthened the belief that he has the temperament and talent to become a key player for India in the years ahead.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa believes Sooryavanshi has the talent to leave an even bigger mark on white-ball cricket than Sachin Tendulkar. However, he stressed that the youngster's long-term success will depend on how carefully his career is managed, citing the examples of Vinod Kambli and Prithvi Shaw as talented players whose careers lost momentum.
"He could have a bigger impact on white-ball than Tendulkar. But how he's managed is going to be important. We've seen in Indian cricket exciting players come through the ranks. We saw Vinod Kambli and Prithvi Shaw and started asking what they would become when they were 17-18 years old. And then suddenly they fall off the wagon," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after scoring 151 runs at an average of 50.33 in India's 3-0 T20I sweep of Zimbabwe in Harare. His impressive performances also earned him a massive jump of 230 places in the ICC T20I batting rankings, taking him to a career-best 48th position.
“Can he stay pristine till he's 20?”
Uthappa also urged those around Sooryavanshi to protect the youngster from unnecessary distractions, saying the next few years would be crucial in shaping his career. He praised the 15-year-old for prioritising cricket over commercial opportunities and stressed the importance of preserving his focus as his profile continues to grow.
"So that will be Vaibhav's first test. Can he stay pristine for the game over a period of five years? He's 15 now, so can he stay pristine till he's 20? There's so much innocence to who he is that you want that to be protected. I love the fact that he's saying no to every advertisement and he's focusing only on cricket. Because when he's 18, he'll start being perceived as a man and the female attention will come. That can be a distraction as well," he added.