Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanjay Manjrekar Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but only in the T20 format so far. He mentioned the youngster’s IPL 2026 performances, where he scored against top bowlers including Jasprit Bumrah, but also said there are areas he needs to work on.Sooryavanshi, who is 15, came into limelight last year with a century in his first IPL season. He followed it up with performances in domestic cricket and at Under-19 level, including a score of 175 in the U-19 World Cup final earlier this year. In IPL 2026, he scored 404 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 237.64.
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Debut in India: Calls are getting louderHis performances led to discussions about whether he could be picked in the Indian team after the IPL, and Manjrekar said he had done enough to be considered.“Looking at the IPL as a platform to make a claim for the Indian T20 team, and watching his performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well, where he got a hundred (vs. Maharashtra), I think he has done enough. If someone lights up the stage like that, then they are ready,” he said in an interview with Sportstar.At the same time, Manjrekar said that it might not be easy for Sooryavanshi to get a place in the team as a number of starters, including Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, are already in contention.He said Sooryavanshi is part of a group of T20 batsmen who create space to play strokes, but added that his technique needs changes if he wants to play the longer formats.“Take all the consistent T20 batting over the last few years, Sooryavanshi will stay leg-side and hit the ball on middle stump through point because he stays leg-side. In Test cricket, the advice is to get close to the ball. In England or Australia in South Africa, you don’t get 20 runs if you stay away from the ball,” he said.He added: “If you want your kid to be famous and rich, T20 batting is for you. If you want him to get the respect of people like us critics, then make him come closer to the line of the ball.”
