Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should juts have fun while playing his cricket now before the pressure sets in later in his career. Sooryavanshi, who was selected foe India’s T20I teams for the Ireland and England tour, wasn’t in the playing XI for the 1st T20I against the Irish on Friday. “I think he’s special. He’s shown the ability to adapt quite impressively. For me, I think that’s where it stops with respect to talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi because he is a 15, 16-year-old kid who I personally believe should have fun playing the game just like he would in gullies of wherever he comes from, his hometown, so he’s not gonna have a long road ahead of him where he is going to play without pressure, it will eventually catch up because it will turn into being work,” Ashwin said to BBC. “But as of now, I would love for him to have fun and entertain us all. Just let him have all the fun and not talk to him about the game at all. He will face all the ups and downs in life but for now, he’s putting up a show for the world of the cricket connoisseurs to watch and say ‘wow’. And he’s a phenomenal talent,” he added. R Ashwin: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ‘should have fun’ 🏏 As speculation around his senior debut grows, India legend @ashwinravi99 hopes “special” Sooryavanshi can enjoy cricket before it becomes work 📺Watch #BBCStumped on @bbcworldservice Youtube 👇https://t.co/1TSxyY8Psc pic.twitter.com/a7TJ19kOWH — BBC World Service Sport (@BBCWSSport) June 26, 2026 Sooryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm, setting new records every time he steps onto the field in his young career. Recently, the left-hander got to his half-century in 11 balls and finished on 94 from 29 balls to lay the foundation for India A to reach a massive score of 377/9, which proved too much in the end. Also Read | Sooryavanshi storm brews: tickets rush, windows under threat, Irish rattled Sooryavanshi, who had become the youngest cricketer to score a hundred in IPL last year, had smashed a record 175 runs to guide India to victory in final of the U-19 World Cup this year. He then amassed 776 runs in 16 innings this IPL at a strike rate of 237.30 for Rajasthan Royals. The youngster also became the first uncapped player ever to score 700 runs in a single IPL season apart from becoming the first player in T20 history to score 500 powerplay runs in a single edition of a tournament. He was also the Most Valuable Player this IPL and also picked up the emerging player award and the Orange Cap.
‘As of now, I would love for him to have fun’: Ashwin on Sooryavanshi
