Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the toast of the season in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) and while a plethora of former players have expressed awe at the way he has gone about constructing his astonishing knocks, many have also wondered how he would do in Test cricket. While there have been a few who have expressed doubts over whether he can succeed in the longest format considering his propensity to go for big shots frequently, many have said that they are excited to see his talent play out in red-ball cricket.
Sooryavanshi has now said that he does indeed want to succeed in Test cricket. In a chat with Star Sports, along with former India greats Sunil Gavaskar and Harbhajan Singh, Sooryavanshi said that he plays the way he does in white-ball cricket as he has been given the freedom to do so and it is what is required. However, he said that he will be playing 50-over cricket next and will be looking to hit the ball along the ground more often.
“Yes, I will have to play on the ground because the next assignment is in a one-day format,” he said. “I have practised a lot with a red ball, but no one has seen me do that, but they will soon.
“People think I love to hit every ball, but this is the T20 format, and coaches give me a free hand to go all guns blazing. And I hit the ball only because I know I can hit them, and it isn’t out of compulsion.”
‘I want to play Test cricket’
Sooryavanshi has turned heads in 50-over cricket as well. He was the heartbeat of India’s succesfull campaign in the U19 World Cup earlier this year, smashing multiple records in the final with an 80-ball 175. He hasn’t quite done the same in the handful of first class matches he has played. Sooryavanshi has played eight first class matches between January 2024 and November 2025 in which he scored 207 runs with an average of 17.25. However, it is to be remembered that Sooryavanshi is still just 15 years old and was only entering his teenage years when he played those first class matches at the senior level.
“I want to play Test cricket, obviously, because my father also taught me that it is the ultimate format, and I have played it as well. I’m yet to play many games, though. I played Ranji Trophy cricket but did not get too many opportunities, and it was challenging for me. But I am going to keep working on that aspect of my game,” he said.
