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    STUMP VISION                                                          AUGUST 14, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 45

             Rise and Rise of Sooryavanshi: India’s Teenage

                   Wonder Begins to Rewrite Cricket’s Future

                  At just 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has gone from youth prodigy to international star, with

                      performances suggesting Indian cricket may have found its next generational talent.

            ASIM KHANNA                                                                                ment alongside talent.
                                                                                                          The Duleep Trophy also presents perhaps the
            New Delhi
                                                                                                       biggest examination of his young career.
               ndian cricket has rarely lacked for batting prod-                                          Despite his white-ball success, Sooryavanshi
               igies. From Sachin Tendulkar’s teenage exploits                                         has  played  only  eight  first-class  matches,  scoring
            Ito Virat Kohli’s Under-19 heroics and Shubman                                             207 runs with a highest score of 93. Red-ball cricket
            Gill’s  seamless  transition  to  international  cricket,                                  demands patience, concentration and technical dis-
            every generation has produced its own wonderkid.                                           cipline over long periods—qualities impossible to
            Yet even by those lofty standards, the rise of Vai-                                        judge fully from T20 performances.
            bhav Sooryavanshi has been extraordinary.                                                     Opening  alongside  experienced  campaigner
                The latest ICC rankings merely provide sta-                                            Abhimanyu Easwaran should accelerate his devel-
            tistical confirmation of what cricket followers have                                       opment. Sharing a dressing room with senior profes-
            been witnessing over the past year. A 230-place                                            sionals such as Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Ku-
            jump to a career-best 48th in the T20I batting rank-                                       mar offers another invaluable learning opportunity.
            ings after just one international series is remarkable                                        Perhaps the strongest endorsement of
            in itself. More importantly, it reflects the speed with                                    Sooryavanshi’s potential came this week from En-
            which the 15-year-old has established himself at the                                       gland’s Jos Buttler.
            highest level.                                                                                After becoming the highest run-scorer in T20
                His story is no longer about potential. It is                                          history, Buttler was asked about the longevity of his
            about performance.                                                                         record. His answer surprised many.
                                                                                                          Rather than naming an established interna-
                          A meteoric rise                                                              tional star, Buttler suggested Sooryavanshi could
                Every sporting phenomenon reaches a point                                              eventually surpass his landmark tally.
            where promise gives way to achievement. For                                                   Such praise carries enormous weight.
            Sooryavanshi, that transition has happened with as-                                           Buttler has played alongside and against virtu-
            tonishing speed.                                                                           ally every great T20 batter of the modern era. For
                His breakthrough came during the ICC Un-                                               someone with that experience to identify a 15-year-
            der-19 World Cup, where he dominated bowling                                               old as a future record-breaker reflects how highly the
            attacks from around the world, scoring 439 runs                                            teenager is already regarded within global cricket.
            to finish as Player of the Tournament. Rather than                                            While such predictions inevitably place addi-
            treating youth cricket as the pinnacle of his season,                                      tional pressure on young shoulders, they also un-
            he used it as a launchpad.                                                                 derline the excitement surrounding his emergence.
                A successful IPL campaign followed, exposing                                              History also offers a note of caution.
            him to some of the world’s finest bowlers and the pres-                                       Indian cricket has witnessed numerous teen-
            sure of performing before packed stadiums. Unlike                                          age sensations whose early promise did not trans-
            many teenage sensations who require time to adjust,   Despite his white-ball success, Sooryavanshi has played only   late into sustained international success. Injuries,
            Sooryavanshi appeared unfazed by the occasion. His   eight first-class matches, scoring 207 runs with a highest   technical flaws exposed over time and the relentless
            fearless strokeplay and ability to score rapidly made                                      scrutiny that accompanies fame have derailed many
            him one of the tournament’s biggest attractions.           score of 93 (File photo)        gifted careers.
                The momentum carried seamlessly into inter-                                               The challenge for Sooryavanshi will not be
            national cricket.                            reputation. His batting reflects the evolution of In-  reaching the top but staying there.
                Against Zimbabwe, he scored 151 runs in three   dian cricket itself.                      Opposition analysts will quickly identify pat-
            T20Is at an average above 50, winning the Player of   Earlier generations often built their games pa-  terns in his batting. Bowlers will devise specific plans
            the Series award as India completed a clean sweep.   tiently before expanding their range. Today’s young   to counter his strengths. Every innings will attract
            The performances demonstrated not only his   cricketers grow up watching T20 leagues, learning   national attention, and every failure will invite ques-
            shot-making ability but also a level of maturity rare-  to dominate bowlers rather than merely survive   tions about whether expectations were excessive.
            ly associated with players still in their mid-teens.  them. Sooryavanshi embodies this philosophy with-  The responsibility therefore extends beyond
                                                         out sacrificing technique.                    the player himself.
                        The new generation                                                                The selectors, coaches and team management
                What separates Sooryavanshi from many previ-       Leadership opportunities            must resist the temptation to overload him with
            ous teenage stars is his mindset.                Perhaps the clearest indication of how highly   cricket. Careful workload management, opportu-
                Modern cricket rewards aggressive intent, par-  Indian cricket rates Sooryavanshi is not his ICC   nities across formats and protection from excessive
            ticularly in T20 cricket, and Sooryavanshi appears   ranking but his appointment as East Zone vice-cap-  media hype will be essential if India hopes to nur-
            perfectly suited to this era. He attacks from the out-  tain for the Duleep Trophy.        ture a once-in-a-generation talent.
            set, plays conventional and innovative strokes with   Leadership roles are rarely handed to teenag-  For now, however, the signs could hardly be
            equal confidence, and refuses to be intimidated by   ers unless administrators see exceptional tempera-  more encouraging.

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