India’s 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not make an impressive T20I debut against England. Replacing Sanju Samson, Sooryavanshi’s three outings in the T20I series were underwhelming. While the youngster has faced criticism, opposition captain, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza has defended him. 40-year-old Raza is in awe of what he can do, calling him 'generational talent'. He feels that the criticism of a youngster so early in his career is not justified. He wants the young opener to managed well.
“Vaibhav is a supremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old kid is playing international cricket, criticising him after just two or three matches isn’t justified. I think Vaibhav has a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and handled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent,” Raza said on JioStar.
“To see what he has done over the last year, what he has done for India Under-19, and the fact that he made his international debut at the same age, these are no small feats by any means.You don’t get to hear such stories nowadays. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is managed and handled,” he added.
While Sooryavanshi couldn't make an impact in England, he has happy memories in Harare, scoring a match-winning 80-ball 175 in the Under-19 World Cup 2026 final against English side.
India-Zimbabwe equal chance of winning
While Raza backed Sooryavanshi, he announced that the T20I series will not be one-sided for India. He believes that both teams have equal chances of winning the three-T20I series which begins on July 23 and ends on July 26.
No wins in Iyer’s account yet
The Shreyas Iyer-led India have lost two consecutive T20I series. Since taking over as captain, Iyer is yet to register a win as a leader. In Ireland, India lost 2-0. Then, India lost to Harry Brook-led side by 4-0 as the series opener was washed out due to rain.
Sooryavanshi gets reality check after IPL 2026 high
The 15-year-old wreaked havoc in his second Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scoring 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, featuring a ton and five fifties.
Then, he was picked in India A's One-Day series for tri-series in Sri Lanka. He got starts in two games each against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan but couldn't convert them into big scores. But, he saved his best for the final. He broke the record for the fastest half-century in List A cricket. He went on to score a 29-ball 94 against Sri Lanka A, helping India A win by 66 runs.
On his T20I debut in England, he got stumped out trying to hit off-spinner Will Jacks. In the following two T20Is, he was dismissed by his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate Jofra Archer. Teams have started using the short balls against Sooryavanshi to force a top-edge. He scored 42 runs from three innings. Zimbabwe have tall pacers in their lineup as well including Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava who can trouble him with pace and bounce.