‘Find a place for him’: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opts to open for India in Tests after IPL heroics

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should find a place in India’s international set-up soon, even hinting that the teenager could open the batting in Test cricket.During a discussion on Sky Sports on the opening day of the first Test between England and New Zealand on Thursday, the idea of ​​Sooryavanshi opening in Tests was raised. “I have a way of cheering test match cricket around the world. Open the batting with Sooryavanshi. Can you imagine seeing that in a test cricket match?” said the presenter.To which Doull replied, “It can’t be far.”Sooryavanshi was one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026. The Rajasthan Royals batsman won several awards at the end of the tournament, including Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, Orange Cap winner and Super Sixes of the Season.The Bihar-born batsman finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30.His season included a record 72 sixes and several milestones that rank him among the exceptional performers in IPL history.At the age of 15 years and 65 days, Sooryavanshi also became the youngest Orange Cap winner in IPL history. The previous record was held by Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan who won it at 23 years and 231 days in 2025. Shubman Gill previously held the record in 2023 at 23 years and 263 days.The teenager came close to breaking Virat Kohli’s record of four centuries in a single IPL season. Apart from his century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was dismissed three times in the 1990s – 93 against Lucknow Super Giants, 97 in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad and 96 in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans.Sooryavanshi also became the fastest player to reach 1000 IPL runs in terms of balls faced, getting there in 440 deliveries, surpassing West Indies batsman Andre Russell. In terms of innings, he became the second fastest to the milestone by claiming 23 innings. The fastest remains Shaun Marsh, who achieved it in 21 innings.Praising the youngster’s season, Doull said: “It’s extraordinary. It’s phenomenal. I mean, watching the best run-scorer in the tournament. I don’t know how many awards he’s won in the (IPL) tournament, but for a 16-year-old, it’s just been phenomenal.”Doull added that India should soon find a place for Sooryavanshi in one of their national teams.“I don’t know who they’re replacing, but yes, somewhere in some teams they have to find a place for him.”