Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (PTI Photo) Former India spinner Shikhar Dhawan has thrown his weight behind teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, insisting that performances at the highest level should matter more than age.Dhawan was full of praise for the youngster’s fearless approach, especially against the top bowlers, stressing how rare such confidence is at such an early stage.
Watch
Kumar Sangakkara on RR’s win over Punjab Kings“If Vaibhav is doing great at the senior level, then it has to count and not his age. Yes, he is a kid, but it is amazing how he hits Bumrah and Arshdeep for such huge sixes,” Dhawan told PTI in an interview.“A lot of big guns haven’t been able to do what he’s done at such a young age. His time will obviously come. It will.”Sooryavanshi backed up that praise with numbers in IPL 2026. He scored 400 runs at a staggering 238.10, making him the leading run-getter while also smashing 37 sixes, the most by any batsman so far.However, Dhawan acknowledged that breaking into the settled Indian top order remains a challenge. With India recently winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 in 2026 and players like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma performing well, opportunities may not come easily.“Look if the top order is doing well, you can’t replace them immediately. When we played me Rohit and Virat, we played for almost ten years and it was not easy to replace us.”“It is up to the individual to take it. It may sting you a bit but one should not be discouraged if the opportunity does not come right away. Vaibhav has so many blessings at this young age.”He also spoke about how T20 batting has evolved over the years, with a clear shift towards aggressive intent while still stressing the importance of technique.“When we started, our coaches said it hit the ground and now it’s the other way around. Like Vaibhav, he has good defense as I’ve seen him defend close to the body.”In adapting across formats, Dhawan emphasized that mindset plays a key role, especially for the generation that has grown up in T20 cricket.“Technique has to be good, but switching formats needs a shift in mindset to know when you need to increase or decrease the pace. That comes with match practice. Today’s generation is building their game around T20, so there will be challenges for them.”
