If the hype wasn’t already there, the noise has only grown louder. A thundering 17-ball 52 that single-handedly crushed Chennai Super Kings’ hopes on Monday in Guwahati triggered a familiar chorus, with calls growing for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fast-track Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into India’s white-ball setup after IPL 2026.
A year after his breakthrough IPL season, where he smashed a historic 35-ball century, and just weeks after his heroics in the U-19 World Cup final, Vaibhav only amplified the India narrative with a 15-ball half-century against the five-time champions at the Barsapara Stadium.
While Ravichandran Ashwin was left in awe of the youngster’s brute force, he also issued a word of caution, urging fans and experts not to pile pressure on him or set premature targets of an India call-up.
“Don’t give him such a target. He is not even a guy, he is a kid. If MS Dhoni is playing till 45 [44], and if Sooryavanshi plays till 40, he has two and a half decades left in cricket. Leave him alone, he will come on his own when the time is right. He is too good to not play for India. He will play anyway eventually. When will he play? For that, we might have to wait a bit. Why are we always in a hurry?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Vaibhav’s knock included five sixes and four boundaries as he single-handedly dismantled the Chennai bowling attack, leaving them with no answers.
“He turned 15 years old, so he scored a 15-ball 50, he is showing his age. I mean, what a player he is? How fast is his bat speed? CSK had no answers against him, they looked a flat, deflated unit on the field. RR have put on such a dominating performance that they have said, ‘Look at us, we are also a powerful team in this competition’,” Ashwin added.
Rajasthan Royals will next face Gujarat Titans on April 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
