AB de Villiers urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to test himself across formats
AB de Villiers has urged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not to remain only a T20 specialist batter. He says Test cricket will probe the teenager's game, temperament and resilience far more deeply.
Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has urged India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not to limit himself to T20 cricket despite his explosive rise in the format. The 15-year-old has emerged as one of the standout players of the ongoing Indian Premier League season with fearless strokeplay and remarkable consistency against some of the world’s best bowlers.
The debate around Sooryavanshi’s future has intensified as his T20 exploits fuel calls for an early India debut, even though his red-ball numbers remain modest.
“I do not know how he is going to last, to be honest. At his age, the talent is incredible. But I would like to see him in other formats,” De Villiers said on the ‘For The Love of Cricket’ podcast hosted by Stuart Broad. “In Test cricket, he doesn't yet know what he is in for. A lot of things will change unless someone, who is a really good manager, tells him to be a T20 specialist for the rest of his life. If that's all he plays, it'll be a very long and successful career.”
The former South African batter, however, said he hoped Sooryavanshi would embrace the tougher challenge of longer formats.
“If he does start nibbling around with ODIs and, in particular, Test cricket, he will discover a whole different area of his cricket mentally and physically,” De Villiers said. “He definitely has the talent to overcome all the obstacles that may come his way. But it will not be an easy ride, and it will be a rocky road. I hope he goes that route and tries to play Test cricket for his country.”
JUST A WHITE BALL STAR?
Sooryavanshi has dazzled in the IPL this season, scoring 440 runs in 11 innings at an average of 40 and a strike rate above 236, including two centuries and two fifties. His aggressive assault on elite pacers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made him one of the most talked-about young players in world cricket. Yet his first-class record remains a work in progress, with 207 runs in eight matches at an average of 17.25.
The Bihar batter has already built an extraordinary reputation in junior and limited-overs cricket. At this year’s U19 World Cup, Sooryavanshi finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate close to 170.
He also rewrote the record books by smashing 30 sixes in the tournament, the most in U19 World Cup history, eclipsing the previous mark held by Dewald Brevis. Across U19 ODIs, Sooryavanshi is already India’s leading run-scorer with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at an average above 56 and a strike rate exceeding 165.
The teenager’s dominance extends into senior white-ball cricket as well. In 28 T20 matches, he has scored 1,105 runs at an average of 40.92 and a staggering strike rate of 215.39, while also making a strong impression in List-A cricket with 353 runs in eight innings, including a top score of 190.
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Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has urged India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not to limit himself to T20 cricket despite his explosive rise in the format. The 15-year-old has emerged as one of the standout players of the ongoing Indian Premier League season with fearless strokeplay and remarkable consistency against some of the world’s best bowlers.
The debate around Sooryavanshi’s future has intensified as his T20 exploits fuel calls for an early India debut, even though his red-ball numbers remain modest.
“I do not know how he is going to last, to be honest. At his age, the talent is incredible. But I would like to see him in other formats,” De Villiers said on the ‘For The Love of Cricket’ podcast hosted by Stuart Broad. “In Test cricket, he doesn't yet know what he is in for. A lot of things will change unless someone, who is a really good manager, tells him to be a T20 specialist for the rest of his life. If that's all he plays, it'll be a very long and successful career.”
The former South African batter, however, said he hoped Sooryavanshi would embrace the tougher challenge of longer formats.
“If he does start nibbling around with ODIs and, in particular, Test cricket, he will discover a whole different area of his cricket mentally and physically,” De Villiers said. “He definitely has the talent to overcome all the obstacles that may come his way. But it will not be an easy ride, and it will be a rocky road. I hope he goes that route and tries to play Test cricket for his country.”
JUST A WHITE BALL STAR?
Sooryavanshi has dazzled in the IPL this season, scoring 440 runs in 11 innings at an average of 40 and a strike rate above 236, including two centuries and two fifties. His aggressive assault on elite pacers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made him one of the most talked-about young players in world cricket. Yet his first-class record remains a work in progress, with 207 runs in eight matches at an average of 17.25.
The Bihar batter has already built an extraordinary reputation in junior and limited-overs cricket. At this year’s U19 World Cup, Sooryavanshi finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate close to 170.
He also rewrote the record books by smashing 30 sixes in the tournament, the most in U19 World Cup history, eclipsing the previous mark held by Dewald Brevis. Across U19 ODIs, Sooryavanshi is already India’s leading run-scorer with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at an average above 56 and a strike rate exceeding 165.
The teenager’s dominance extends into senior white-ball cricket as well. In 28 T20 matches, he has scored 1,105 runs at an average of 40.92 and a staggering strike rate of 215.39, while also making a strong impression in List-A cricket with 353 runs in eight innings, including a top score of 190.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
