Ajinkya Rahane Shows Vaibhav Sooryavanshi The Mirror: "IPL And International Cricket Are Completely Different"
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's international career has taken off. After three low scores of 14, 13, and 15 in England, Sooryavanshi's initiation into international cricket was challenging
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 50, 20, and 81 against Zimbabwe in a three-match series
- Sooryavanshi had low scores of 14, 13, and 15 in his initial matches in England
- Ajinkya Rahane said IPL and international cricket have very different pressure levels
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's international career has taken off. After three low scores of 14, 13, and 15 in England, Sooryavanshi's initiation into international cricket was challenging. Against Zimbabwe, Sooryavanshi found his touch. In the three-match series, Sooryavanshi scored 50, 20, and 81. The series promised much for Indian cricket as far as Sooryavanshi's career is concerned, which has been in focus since he emerged on the Indian cricket scene.
Ajinkya Rahane, who retired recently, gave his opinion on whether Sooryavanshi will play Test cricket for India and offered the youngster a dose of reality check.
"It's tough to say or comment on right now," Rahane said on the Stick to Cricket podcast. "I don't want to say anything and put pressure on that young kid because people are already talking a lot about him. It's just two IPL seasons. What I've realised is that IPL and international cricket are completely different. The pressure when you represent your country is enormous. Chasing 70 runs in the IPL in four or five overs is easy. Chasing the same number of runs in international cricket is different. So, let him just play his game, let him just grow."
Meanwhile, in a separate discussion, former India batter Mohammad Kaif felt Sooryavanshi was unfairly denied a debut on the Ireland tour. He targeted the Indian team management for not using the 15-year-old straight after an extraordinary Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif targeted the Indian team management over their decision to hold back Sooryavanshi's debut, saying it was baffling that those in charge wanted the explosive teenage batter to "serve water first".
"Vaibhav is an X-factor player. He made a reputation for himself. His bat did the talking in the IPL despite him being in the spotlight. He didn't just perform in one or two matches. He won the Orange Cap. He should have played in Ireland; the nervousness would have gone in that case. He would have reached England and performed well," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
"He was in a rich vein of form; he had won the Orange Cap. But you told him to serve water first. He's a special player; you could have played him directly in Ireland. He should have gotten special treatment. If he had played in Ireland, he would not have had any nervousness in the UK," he added.
Ajinkya Rahane
India Cricket Team