Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put the disappointment of the England tour behind him with a memorable series against Zimbabwe, returning to the very venue where he had smashed a sensational 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year. Ever since his record-breaking IPL campaign, the teenage sensation has been one of the biggest talking points in Indian cricket and was quickly promoted to the senior national team for the Ireland and England tours. While he did not get a game in Ireland, Sooryavanshi featured in three T20Is against England but struggled to make an impact with the bat. He, however, bounced back in emphatic fashion in Zimbabwe, delivering a Player of the Series-winning performance. The left-hander scored 151 runs in three matches, including a blistering half-century and a superb 81, showcasing the fearless strokeplay and clean ball-striking that have made him one of India’s most exciting young batting talents.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer believes that expecting Sooryavanshi to change his natural approach would take away the very quality that makes him special. While acknowledging that everyone would love to see the youngster score more centuries, Jaffer stressed that the left-hander’s instinctive attacking style is the biggest reason behind his success.
“Of course, we all want him to score big hundreds, but somehow that’s not his style. He keeps playing his shots and goes for the big hits, and that’s also the reason behind his success. It’s really nice to see that the pressure of the scoreboard or individual milestones doesn’t get into his head. Even today, he played some excellent shots, but unfortunately, the catch that dismissed him was absolutely brilliant,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
Jaffer further pointed out Sooryavanshi’s exploits in the IPL 2026 playoffs to prove how the 15-year-old is not obsessed with the milestones and focuses on making an impact with his fearless batting.
“He plays absolutely fearless cricket. We saw him in the IPL knockouts as well, where he missed out on two centuries after getting into the 90s. He could have easily played a few more balls and taken singles, but that’s just not his nature. That’s not how he plays the game, and that’s something to like about him,” he added.
‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi one of the biggest positives from ZIM tour’
With two half-centuries, Sooravanshi lived up to the trust of the team management for backing him at such a young age, as Jaffer also said that his scoring runs were the biggest positive for India on the Zimbabwe tour.
“He (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) played two outstanding innings, and even today it looked like he might go on to score his maiden hundred. He narrowly missed out on that first century, but he has produced two really good knocks in this series. One of the biggest positives has been him scoring runs. We were already expecting Vaibhav to perform in international cricket, but I think these two innings will boost his confidence even further. Going forward, I feel he’ll play with a lot less pressure, and he has been a success story,” he concluded.
