- By Namrata Vijay
- Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:39 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IPL 2026: Ever since the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had smashed a 15-ball fifty while representing Rajasthan Royals on a challenging surface in Guwahati during their IPL 2026 match against Chennai Super Kings, talk about his senior India debut has grown exponentially. Former cricketers like Mohammed Kaif and Michael Vaughan believe the youngster should be picked by the BCCI for the senior Indian national cricket team after IPL 2026 ends. But ex-India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has a completely different opinion on this topic.
During an interaction on his YouTube channel, Ashwin emphasized that Sooryavanshi shouldn't be rushed into making his international debut, as he still has more than two decades of cricket ahead of him.
"Don't give him such a target. He is not even a man; he is a kid. If MS Dhoni plays until 45 [44] and Sooryavanshi plays until 40, he has 2.5 decades left in cricket. Leave him alone; he will come on his own when the time is right. He is too good not to play for India. He will play anyway eventually. When will he play? For that, we might have to wait a bit. Why are we always in a hurry?" Ashwin was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
Sooryavanshi has performed consistently for all the teams that he has played for. Post playing in his IPL debut match last year, he had become the youngest batter to have smashed a ton in this tournament at just 14 years of age. Even before he turned 15 earlier this month, he broke lots of records while representing India in the Under-19 and A teams. But Ashwin still believes he shouldn't be rushed into making his senior debut.
Even though he was batting on a sticky surface, Sooryavanshi did play some brilliant shots that none of the other batters in the whole team could play. Ashwin was impressed by the youngster's batting performance. With Sooryavanshi in their team, Ashwin has opined that the Rajasthan-based franchise can be a strong contender to win the IPL title this year.
"He turned 15 years old, so he scored a 15-ball 50 - he is showing his age. I mean, what a player he is! How fast is his bat speed? CSK had no answers against him; they looked like a flat, deflated unit on the field. RR has put on such a dominating performance that they have said, 'Look at us, we are also a powerful team in this competition," he concluded.