Don't Rush Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India Selection: Ex-Dough Trouble Warning

Former batsman Aakash Chopra has told the selectors to be patient with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and not push him into the national team just yet. Sooryavanshi continued to grab the headlines with his a sensational knock of 97 off 29 balls in the Eliminator against SRH at Mullanpur on Wednesday 28 May.

SRH vs RR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

This means Sooryavanshi has scored 680 runs this season at an average of 45.33 and a strike rate of 242.86. His knock on Wednesday got people talking to people like Sachin Tendulkar and others join. Michael Vaughan was one of them and said that India must pick him.

However, Chopra said everyone must proceed with caution. The former batsman said that while his performances should be taken into account, Sooryavanshi should not make the Indian team at the expense of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who have done well to seal their place.

“The next World Cup is still 2 years away. There will be time. Yes, it’s exciting. It’s something that’s there that you can’t ignore because IPL is India’s best T20 tournament. So if someone is just breaking records, breaking records, you have to take it seriously and this kid is special. There’s no doubt he should make some changes about it. But then he made changes just for you,” he said. Chopra.

“It’s very easy for someone to go out; you have to fail the test. When someone’s already a firecracker, how can you just change the firecracker because you think someone else will get more marks? I mean, he’s a firecracker.”

‘SOORYAVANSHI IS NOT INDIAN CRICKET, HE IS A PART OF IT’

Samson and Abhishek also had good runs in the IPL this season, scoring 477 and 563 runs respectively. Chopra said if Sooryavanshi is pushed early, then a slim patch for him will mean the selectors will be forced to pick a new kid on the block.

“You are talking about Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. You are not replacing them right now because if you were to do that, I can give you in writing, in two or three years, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi goes through a bad patch, you will follow the same principle.”

“The next kid in town, you want to raise him to that standard. So Ajit Agarkar, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha will face a lot of scrutiny and pressure, but they have to do what’s right for Indian cricket and he represents Indian cricket.

“It’s not Indian cricket. I mean it’s part of Indian cricket and I think that fact is not lost on any of the selectors and they’ll do the right thing, but it might not happen tomorrow. It might take a while. He’s got 20 years ahead of him so there’s no rush,” Chopra said.

Right after the IPL, Sooryavanshi will be seen in India A colors as the team tours Sri Lanka for a tri-series.

– The end

Published on:

28 May 2026 03:00 IST