'When You Start Playing With Men...': Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Warned After Modest Outings Vs England

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has had a tough initiation to international cricket, with the teenage batting sensation showing glimpses of his talent but largely kept quiet by England bowlers during his maiden T20I series. Earlier this month, Sooryavanshi became the youngest ever to represent India at international level during a five-match T20I series in England.

The 15-year-old was fast-tracked into international cricket following a stunning IPL 2026, where he scored close to 800 runs and became the youngest ever winner of Orange Cap in the tournament’s history.

Expectations were high, but English bowlers did their homework, with Sooryavanshi managing 32 runs in three innings before being benched.

Former India spinner Maninder Singh said at international

level, the scrutiny is greater compared to age-group cricket and teams will search for Sooryavanshi’s weaknesses.

“Yes, but then again, it comes to the conditions. When you start playing with men after being with the U-19 players, and according to that level, he is a very, very good cricketer. But when you start playing with men, and the conditions were like that in England, where there was a little bounce, there must be some weaknesses that the international teams will catch,” Maninder was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.

“It’s because in today’s time, so many videos are watched and attempts are made to find weaknesses. So, that will continue, and now that you have started playing international cricket, people will also wonder how this 15-year-old will make runs. So, you will get to see a little extra effort by the bowlers (to outsmart him),” he added.

Sooryavanshi is part of India’s T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series in Zimbabwe, where his vulnerability against the short ball will again be tested by the likes of Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava.

Maninder though thinks that Sooryavanshi will find a way to deal with the challenge.

“But I feel he is a very talented kid and he will find his own way to adapt himself in such conditions. I think he will start working towards that also. The advantage with him is that his coach follows him regularly. His father moves with him. So, his weaknesses will also be found, and they will start working on them,” he said.

“It’s because if a parent starts giving his child cricket training from the age of 8-9-10, and he plays for India at the age of 15, then one thing is for sure: the child is talented. The second thing is that a lot of hard work has been done with him. The third thing, which I see in the coming time, is that he will start working on his weaknesses while playing international cricket,” he added.