Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in World Cup 2027? Former spinner makes bold ODI prediction

Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has joined the growing excitement around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, predicting that the 15-year-old prodigy could turn out to be a real game-changer if given an opportunity in the ODI World Cup next year. It was only on Saturday that the teenager made his T20I debut against England at Old Trafford and officially became the youngest cricketer to play international cricket for India.

However, Sivaramakrishnan feels that the selectors need to look beyond the shortest format and urges the team management to give Sooryavanshi consistent opportunities in both T20Is and One Day Internationals.

On his international debut, the teenager gave a fleeting but exciting glimpse of the immense talent that has made him the new poster boy of world cricket as he smashed a nine-ball 14-over. Facing the raw pace of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, Sooryavanshi nonchalantly hit every bowler for a massive six before he was finally stopped.

The historic debut came after intense public uproar. India surprisingly opted to bench the youngster for the two T20Is in Ireland as well as the opening match of the five-match series against England at Chester-le-Street. On Saturday, the management finally relented, replaced Sanju Samson in the playing XI and gave away Sooryavanshi his first Indian cap at the tender age of 15 years and 99 days.

“He should definitely get a chance in the upcoming 50 overs World Cup if he does exceptionally well in the T20 format. He should get an opportunity because he will be a match winner,” Sivaramakrishnan told PTI.

“When he scores runs, he will be a match-winner in all formats of white-ball cricket.

India undoubtedly faces a problem of abundance in white-ball cricket. While Sooryavanshi has successfully made his way into the T20I set-up, the one-day side remains incredibly congested, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal all vying for starting slots. With the 2027 FIFA World Cup due to be held in Africa next year, it remains to be seen whether the selectors will blood the teenager in over-50 cricket should his T20I performances catch fire.

While the young opener’s bedrock is rooted in longer white-ball cricket (he has already amassed 38 senior and youth one-day appearances, including a record 1,412 runs and four centuries in 25 Youth ODIs), it was his stunning performances in the Indian Premier League that completely smashed the door to international selection.

Over two tumultuous IPL seasons, Sooryavanshi has compiled 34 highly explosive T20 performances, consistently dismantling world bowling attacks with a fearlessness that belies his age. His ability to dominate the power play and hit at a pace north of 160 made it virtually impossible for the national selectors to ignore him further. That domestic T20 momentum carried right into the international summer. Just before his India call-up, he smashed a breathtaking 29-ball 94 (hitting an 11-ball half-century) against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, which followed a monumental 175 against England in the U-19 World Cup final earlier in the year.

LONG ROPE FOR SOORYAVANSHI

Sivaramakrishnan urged the team management, namely head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer, to support the youngster fiercely and give him a long rope regardless of initial setbacks.

“He should get a fair amount of chances in white-ball cricket and see how he does. He should continue. I mean, there is no point in bleeding a youngster and giving him a break or resting him. He doesn’t need rest. He can play properly throughout the year,” Sivaramakrishnan told PTI in an interaction.

“Especially as a batsman, he doesn’t need the fitness of a bowler. And batting for a long time will also give him that concentration, mental work that he can do for a long time,” noted the former Tamil Nadu bowler.

“Once you decide to play him, you have to give him enough opportunities. Remember, it’s an investment for the next 20 years. I think what Vaibhav needs now is a lot of support from the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and captain (Shreyas Iyer) and the other players. Even if he doesn’t do well in a few matches, he should be supported.”

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

05 Jul 2026 19:21 IST