Before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi signed off from the Tri-Nation ‘A’ Series in spectacular fashion to help India A clinch the title emphatically, he had made headlines for reasons quite different from those he has become accustomed to. A league-stage clash between India A and Sri Lanka A ended on a sour note, with Sooryavanshi involved in a heated verbal exchange with Vishen Halambage that led to physical contact.
The incident saw the two players shove each other before teammates intervened to diffuse the situation. Reports suggested that the players involved could face punishment for their roles in the ugly incident, although no official announcement has been made so far.
The 15-year-old, however, responded in style. He smashed 94 off just 29 balls
against the same opposition in the final and was named Player of the Match as India A lifted the trophy.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the incident with the Sri Lankan player will prove to be a valuable learning experience for Sooryavanshi and help him deal better with sledging in the future.
“I think Vaibhav has learnt his lesson, the sledging bit. He’ll know what to do. So that’s not a problem. He had first-hand experience in Sri Lanka, and he’ll handle that pretty well, because he seems a very aware, mature guy,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by Mid-Day.
Sooryavanshi has been named in India’s T20I squad for the Ireland and England series, which is scheduled to begin later this week. If he gets an opportunity, the batting prodigy will become the youngest Indian ever to play international cricket. He earned his maiden India call-up after a blockbuster IPL 2026 campaign, during which he scored 776 runs and became the youngest-ever winner of the Orange Cap in the tournament’s history.
Manjrekar said he gained a deeper understanding of Sooryavanshi’s white-ball credentials during the India A Tri-Series in Dambulla, which was played in the one-day format.
“I’m very excited because I had a greater insight into him as a white-ball batter in the India ‘A’ series. And there is something about him that’s special,” he said.
