Cricket Experts Marvel at 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Explosive Talent After IPL Knock

As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was batting against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Monday, Riyan Parag watched on, thinking, 'Wow, how does he do that?'

At the same time, Piyush Chawla and Ambati Rayudu, watching from the ESPN Cricinfo studio, were contemplating whether this aggressive 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batter would soon receive a call-up to the Indian national team. Chawla stated he would 'like to see him promoted to the top level soon.' Rayudu was slightly more cautious but confirmed the young player is definitely in the running.

After Sooryavanshi smashed 52 runs off just 17 balls to give Rajasthan a swift 8-wicket victory over Chennai, Rayudu said on Cricinfo's timeout show, 'He looks better than many young players in the country, and he is a talent who will certainly do wonders for Indian cricket. I don't know when, but definitely in the future.'

He added, 'The way he is batting and the freedom with which he is playing proves that the Rajasthan management is doing an excellent job by not complicating things for him. And his shot-making - the ease with which he is hitting the bowlers at this age is incredible.'

It is easy to forget that Sooryavanshi is only 15 years old; he only turned this age on March 27. And it's not just in Rajasthan; the role of team management wherever he plays cannot be overlooked.

In the post-match press conference, Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag said, 'Our message to Vaibhav is this... we do not put pressure on him and want to keep him away from the external noise. So, he is allowed to do whatever he likes. He likes batting, so we ensure he gets enough batting in the nets. If he wants something to eat, we provide that.'

Parag added, 'As far as his performance on the field is concerned, Dhruv Jurel and I were sitting outside, and the first two or three overs of bowling had been completed. We were amazed at how well he was hitting the ball even though the pitch was a bit sticky and damp. Like the spectators in the parapet, we watch him the same way. We also wonder, 'Wow, how does he do that?' I think he is a great talent, and I am very happy that he is in our team and not in another.'

Sooryavanshi has already become a World Cup winner - he was named Player of the Tournament in the Under-19 World Cup won by India in Harare earlier this year, scoring 439 runs in seven innings. Furthermore, he holds several records: the youngest IPL player, the youngest player to score a century in men's T20, and the fastest player to score 150 runs in men's List A cricket.

'I think the T20 format is definitely suitable for his first national team call-up. If his IPL goes very well and if he shows the ability to remain calm under pressure... because, don't forget, our Indian team is a world champion team. It has won the T20 World Cup. So, it is not easy to replace anyone in that team,' Rayudu said, likely considering Sooryavanshi's age, 'For me, there are some players ahead of him at this time, because you select and build the team before the next ICC tournament.'

'There are enough cricketers performing consistently well. So if I were a selector, he would certainly be in the race. But right now, there are many players who have been performing consistently well for the last two or three years.'

If he makes it to the national team, Chawla expects him to integrate fully there. 'This is the beauty of the IPL. At 15, he is facing world-class bowlers. So, when he goes to the international level, he won't be unfamiliar. It's not like he hasn't faced a bowler bowling over 140 km/h. He has already done that. He has hit them,' Chawla said.

'So he won't think, 'Okay, I just have to play by watching these guys and only take chances against other bowlers or weaker bowlers,' which is a good thing.'

'And if he continues to play like that, I want to see him fast-tracked soon. In the last year, in the Under-19s, in domestic cricket... whatever he played, he went there and scored a century. And not just a century, he scored big centuries.'

Although a century was not scored on Monday as the target was only 128 runs, there was ample evidence of Sooryavanshi's fearless batting and his hunger to score big runs.

When asked if their bowlers faltered while defending 127 runs, Chennai's batting coach Mike Hussey said, 'I think, the way Sooryavanshi came to the crease, he took his chances. We gave him a life once (Karthik Sharma dropped a catch on the very first ball Sooryavanshi faced), it was a difficult catch, but if we had taken that catch, the situation could have been different - if two or three wickets had fallen consecutively, the pressure would have mounted, and the bowlers' morale would have been high.'

'But when there is a batter at the crease who is very clear about how he wants to play, and he is hitting hard on every ball, then sometimes it succeeds and sometimes it doesn't. Today was a successful day for him.'