India’s delicate plan for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Help his game, not ruin it
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has stressed a cautious approach when it comes to integrating teenage phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into the national set-up. The 15-year-old wunderkind earned his historic first T20I call-up for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England after a spectacular, record-breaking season in the Indian Premier League.
While India completed a dominating win over Afghanistan in their one-off Test at Mullanpur, the buzz has already started for their upcoming white-ball challenges. Most of it was due Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first inclusion in their senior T20I squad on a tour of Ireland and England, followed by the Asian Games.
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However, there is a healthy discussion around it how the Indian management will load and implement Sooryavanshi’s talent in a combination that is already a T20 World Cup winning combination. Talking about the challenge of working with modern international players who already have a successful formula, Kotak explained that overtraining a young player can often do more harm than good.
“You see, as a hitting coach or any coach, it’s always a challenge to work with a player. Because at this level, everybody has their own mindset, their own style, their own way of succeeding. And then you try to add something, it always takes time, it always takes trust for them to believe. And to me, it’s so important how much you want to add and when you want to add it.”
“Whenever we observe something, we certainly try to help it only as much as it needs. The more complicated you make it with constant advice, the busier the mind becomes.”
Sooryavanshi made his way into the national team after a breathtaking IPL campaign with Rajasthan Royals, where he secured the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and finished as the highest run scorer with an astonishing 776 runs. If the prodigy makes his debut against Ireland in Belfast, he will eclipse Sachin Tendulkar and become the youngest Indian debutant in the history of international cricket.
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The Indian team management is well aware of the massive attention on the teenager and plans to offer a protective environment that values observation before immediate technical intervention. Kotak, who has watched him play since the age of 19 and seen him destroy world-class bowling attacks on the biggest domestic stage, admitted that the prodigy’s current basic ability is already exceptional.
“From last year’s IPL and the way he’s batting, the way he’s been executing those shots, it’s really exciting to be very honest for a 15-year-old kid. And for all the bowlers in the world, the way he’s faced and succeeded, it’s unbelievable how talented he is. So I’m really excited.”
Rather than trying to restructure his natural talent or pre-emptively fix invisible flaws ahead of an international transition, the coaching staff intends to give Sooryavanshi the freedom to settle into the dressing room on his own terms.
“But personally we’ve had him come in, we’ll see what actually helps him. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to go into anything specific… because he’s doing well.”
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar echoed similar sentiments in selecting the team, noting that while international cricket brings tougher challenges, Sooryavanshi has shown an advanced temperament far beyond his years.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
08 Jun 2026 18:25 IST