Former India batter S Badrinath has expressed concern over the growing hype surrounding teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the ongoing T20I series against England. Sooryavanshi made his India debut last week amid mounting calls for his inclusion, but the 15-year-old has so far struggled to live up to the expectations, scoring 14 and 13 in his first two innings. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Badrinath said he hopes Sooryavanshi has not been burdened by the weight of expectations at such a young age.
He also pointed out that players like the youngster often reach higher peaks than most, but can experience sharper dips in form as well.
“I hope we have not just hyped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He has had a great start and is a phenomenal hitter. But suddenly it’s starting to look like Jofra Archer is sorting him out. I hope he hasn’t been hyped too early because such players peak higher than others when their form is good. But the dip is also sharper for such players when the form is bad,” said Badrinath.
Sooryavanshi will once again be in the spotlight as India look to bounce back from their heaviest-ever defeat in T20Is in the third match of the series.
The 15-year-old became the youngest male cricketer to represent India when he made his debut last weekend, surpassing even Sachin Tendulkar‘s record. Opening the batting, Sooryavanshi announced himself in style by launching Jofra Archer’s first delivery for six before being dismissed for 14 off 10 balls.
However, the youngster struggled in the third T20I, falling to England’s short-ball strategy. Archer dismissed him for 13 off just five deliveries.
Sooryavanshi earned his maiden national call-up following a sensational IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, where he amassed 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including a century and five fifties.