"If mentorship is good....": Manu Bhaker on cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's potential fast-tracking to Team India
New Delhi, April 27
The double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker spoke on Rajasthan Royals 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's rise in the world of cricket and a potential fast-tracking into the Indian cricket team, saying that "age is just a number" and with the right mentorship and people around him, the star batter will only do good.
Sooryavanshi continues to make headlines in world of cricket, becoming the youngest player to reach 1,000 T20 runs and the first uncapped player to hit two Indian Premier League (IPL) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) recently. Be it playing domestic cricket, acing the U19 cricket for India by winning the World Cup and the 'Player of the Tournament' or putting up dazzling performances in the world's biggest cricket league, the 15-year-old is on a speed run during his brief cricketing career so far.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) 75th years anniversary celebrations in Delhi, Manu spoke on the batter's fast-tracking into the Indian senior team and overall handling, "I would say that if the mentorship is good, the company around is good, the people around are good, then age is just a number."
"And there is no age in talent. Great things happens at 60, it happens in 6. So it is just that if the people around him mentor him very well, guide him, then I am sure he will be the next," she added.
So far in the IPL, Sooryavanshi has made 357 runs in eight innings at an average of 44.62 and a strike rate of over 234, with a century and two fifties, with best score of 103.
In the U19 WC this year, Suryanvanshi ended up as the second-highest run-getter with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, with a century and three fifties and a best score of 175. He smacked a record-breaking 30 sixes in the competition, surpassing South Africa's Dewald Brevis' 18 sixes in the 2022 edition by miles. In fact, he holds the record for the most sixes in U19 WC history.
He is also India's leading run-getter in U19 ODIs, with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at 56.48, a strike rate over 165, four centuries, seven fifties, and a best score of 175.
Since October 2024, it has been onwards and upwards for this southpaw, as he first made it to the headlines with a 58-ball century for India U19 against Australia U19 in Chennai, the fastest by an India U19 batter in Youth Tests.
During the IPL mega auction ahead of the 2025 season, he secured a deal worth Rs 1.1 crore with Rajasthan Royals, making him the youngest IPL player ever. In the IPL clash against the Gujarat Titans, at the age of 14, Suryavanshi became the youngest T20 centurion and the first Indian to hit the fastest IPL fifty.
Starting his IPL journey with a first-ball six, he became one of the young, emerging stars of the season, with 252 runs in seven innings at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 206.55, with a century and fifty. After that, it has been records for Suryavanshi wherever he goes.
Whether it is his 52-ball century against England in July last year, making him the youngest and fastest U19 centurion of all time, his 61-ball 108 against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) season last year which made him the youngest centurion in the tournament history or his 84-ball 190 against Arunachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), making him the youngest List A centurion and second-fastest List A centurion amongst Indians last year, Suryavanshi has taken every format by storm one by one.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally someone speaking sense! I'm tired of people saying he's too young. In India we have 14-year-old chess grandmasters, 16-year-old Olympians, why can't a 15-year-old play cricket at the highest level? 🤔 If anything, our system holds back talent too much. Let the boy play, let him learn. Manu Bhaker herself is proof that age doesn't matter - she won Olympic medals at 18!
I have mixed feelings. Yes, the talent is undeniable - those U-19 WC stats are mind-boggling (439 runs, 30 sixes!). But fast-tracking to Team India at 15? That's a different beast. International bowling attacks will target him mercilessly. Look at Prithvi Shaw - immense talent but poor mentorship ruined his career. BCCI needs to be careful, not cautious. Give him one more domestic season then maybe a T20I debut.
As an NRI who follows Indian cricket closely, this is scary and exciting at the same time. The kid has more sixes in one U-19 World Cup than anyone in history. But we saw what happened with Sarfaraz Khan - dropped after one bad series. I hope the selectors and mentors around him have patience. One bad innings shouldn't define him. Manu's point about "good company" is crucial.
Respectful criticism: While I love what Vaibhav has done, let's not get carried away. IPL is still domestic cricket with a lot of pressure, yeah, but international cricket is another level. Look at Yuvraj Singh's daughter or Sachin's son - they had all the mentorship but couldn't replicate their parents' success. Let the boy enjoy his game, score in Ranji, play some A tours. No need to rush him to internationals just because he's hitting sixes in IPL.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.