India’s former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi still has a long way to go in his young career before the experts can judge him. Sooryavanshi has certainly shown the promise to be a big player for India across all formats, but Dev said we must give him his team to prove his mettle on the top stage.
The youngster has impressed one and all with his pyrotechnics, scoring 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.10.
Recently, the 15-year-old returned with scores of 38 and 15 in the Asian Games semifinal and final against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, respectively.
Kapil Dev said on TOI, “It’s too early. Does he have the ability? Yes. But there have been so many in cricket who came with so much ability, then faded out. Look at Vinod Kambli. What will we say about that? Vaibhav is 16 years old. Give him another three years, then we will talk. When his lifestyle changes, his thinking too will change. Then we’ll come to know how he will look after the next two years. That is more important than looking at his performance.”
“We have seen Rohit, Virat. We already saw Sachin. And they made us so proud. But you’re always looking for the next hero. You always ask, ‘Who is the next hero?’ As a cricketer, I like to see which is that young boy who has got that chance, who can replace Virat Kohli. And play for 15 years. That’s what my mind looks for.”
The former Indian all-rounder urged Hardik Pandya to play more cricket as he continues his struggle with injuries.
“Play more cricket. You play more, your body gets tuned to that. But if you play less and suddenly you play more, the chances of injury increase. If your muscles are fine, your injuries are fewer,” said Kapil (via the aforementioned source).
The former Indian skipper also praised Jasprit Bumrah for his consistent performances despite having a different bowling action.
“He’s fabulous. Hats off to him. With that action, he’s proved people like us wrong. We never thought he could survive with that action and bowl so well and become a world-leading bowler. Tremendous.”
Bumrah will be seen in action on the New Zealand tour.
