Exactly a year ago, Rahul Dravid had called the then 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a conversation ahead of his IPL debut. The kid from Bihar’s Samastipur already had the cricket world’s attention, but largely because of his age. Yet there was a reason why Rajasthan Royals had shelled out INR 1.1 crore for a 14-year-old.
Dravid had intended to give Sooryavanshi a pep talk, sensing he might be feeling the nerves like any debutant — perhaps even more because of his age. But the youngster’s reply stunned the then Rajasthan Royals head coach. When asked about his approach, Sooryavanshi simply said he intended to hit every ball for a six.
It was not immaturity or overconfidence. Dravid would later realise it was clarity — a fearless understanding of his own game. That audacious mindset was evident immediately when Sooryavanshi smashed the very first ball of his IPL career, bowled by seasoned campaigner Shardul Thakur, for a six. If IPL 2025 was merely the teaser, complete with a historic 35-ball century, the cricketing world witnessed the full spectacle a year later.
For those who warned Sooryavanshi about the challenges of a second IPL season, the now 15-year-old arrived fully prepared and took apart some of the world’s best bowlers. He launched Jasprit Bumrah for a first-ball six, repeated the feat against Josh Hazlewood, and also attacked the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with remarkable fearlessness.
Speaking to Wisden, Dravid admitted that, beyond Sooryavanshi’s talent, what truly left him in awe was the fact that a 15-year-old had forced elite bowlers in the IPL to spend time in team meetings discussing ways to stop him.
“Vaibhav is a very special talent. There's no doubt about it. I think everyone has said everything that needed to be said about Vaibhav. It's just incredible to watch a young boy take on some of the best players in the world and do it so successfully.
“And in some ways, I'm sure a lot of these experienced world-class bowlers must be going to their team meetings and thinking, ‘My God, we're having to think about a 15-year-old kid’. I can imagine some of the thoughts going on in their heads. I'm sure they never thought a year and a half ago that they would be spending so much time in team meetings discussing a 15-year-old. If someone had told them that back then, some of them would probably have laughed at you. In that sense, what he has done is incredible,” the former India head coach said.
Sooryavanshi has also been among the leading run-getters this season, scoring 440 runs in 11 innings at a staggering strike rate of 236.55, including a century and two fifties.
“I think it's great to see a talent like that. It's great to see that kind of talent coming through in India. Great for the game. I hope he's able to really go on and fulfil the immense talent that he has. He's already bringing a lot of joy to so many people, and I hope he continues to do that,” Dravid added.
Owing to his IPL heroics, the BCCI recently drafted Sooryavanshi into the India A squad for the upcoming one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka, scheduled for June 2026.