India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer has praised teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies. Iyer highlighted the youngster’s contrasting personality, describing him as quiet away from cricket but highly aggressive when he takes the field.Sooryavanshi rose to prominence after Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 1.1 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. The left-hander has since impressed in the IPL and for India’s Under-19 and A teams. After an ordinary start against England, he bounced back by winning Player of the Series against Zimbabwe.Speaking about the teenager on JioStar, Iyer said, “I keep interacting with Vaibhav in terms of what he does outside the field because everyone talks to him about cricket, and we know how talented and gifted an individual he is. So, just talking about his lifestyle outside cricket, that interaction, knowing about his family, what he does, and what excites him more, helps him be more of himself when he talks about it.“And a very silent guy, but on the field, is very destructive. So, that’s an irony when you look at him. He’s a very charming, sweet guy to interact with and good to have around the dressing room. And I know that his time will come, because we have World Cup-winning openers right now, and they deserve the time out there. He’s still in the 15, so definitely, when his time comes, he is going to dominate Indian cricket.”
Sooryavanshi waits for his opportunity
Sooryavanshi was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning Asian Games squad, which defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the final.Iyer made it clear that the youngster being behind established openers is not a sign that India doubt his talent.With the West Indies series next, Sooryavanshi will look to build on his recent form and make the most of his opportunities as he continues his development in international cricket.
