‘I just hope…’: Rahul Dravid fires ‘fine line’ warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of likely India debut

The rise of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been one of the biggest talking points in Indian cricket over the last few months. He has scored runs in age group cricket, domestic cricket, India A and IPL matches. Now the 15-year-old is on the verge of another milestone – becoming India’s youngest international cricketer.India Sooryavanshi is expected to make his debut in the first T20I against Ireland on Friday in Belfast. If he plays, he will be 15 years and 91 days, making him younger than Sachin Tendulkar was when he made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days. Sooryavanshi’s much-anticipated debut comes after a remarkable IPL season with Rajasthan Royals. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer, making 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30.Just days before joining the senior Indian team, Sooryavanshi was in action for India A against Sri Lanka A, where he broke the record for the fastest half-century in List A cricket, reaching the milestone in just 11 balls.As the excitement around the youngster continues to grow, former India coach and Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid shared his thoughts on the teenager.In an interview with the BBC, Dravid described Sooryavanshi as “a truly unique talent”“I think it’s an incredible combination of being able to pick up a bowler’s speed and then cricket smarts, fearlessness. It’s a whole combination of things,” Dravid said.Dravid added: “I don’t think there’s a recipe for making Sooryavanshi, I don’t think you can take any kid and say do this and he’ll be so good. There are certain things they’re just gifted at.”However, Dravid pointed out that Sooryavanshi’s success is not just about talent. He recalled working with him at Rajasthan Royals in 2025 when the youngster made his IPL debut at the age of 14.“But he’s also worked very hard so it’s not just a gift. He’s been hitting a lot of balls from a young age. I saw that in Rajasthan.”Dravid also stressed the importance of carefully managing the teenager’s development as he begins his international career.“I just hope he’s supported him and helped him on the path to really reaching that potential.”He added: “You have to protect someone like him but it’s always going to be a fine line because sometimes you need to let someone fly.”