IPL 2026: AB de Villiers urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play Tests and ODIs: ‘He definitely has the talent to…’

Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers believes that Rajasthan Royals (RR) teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi still has a lot to offer across all formats despite an impressive career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far.

The 15-year-old Vaibhav made an excellent impression in IPL 2025, his debut season, scoring 252 runs from seven matches at a strike-rate of 206.55 for Rajasthan Royals (RR). He slammed one century and one fifty.

In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, the Bihar youngster has so far aggregated 440 runs from 11 matches at a strike-rate of 236.55, including one century and two fifties.

A lot of things will change unless someone, who is a really good manager, tells him to be a T20 specialist for the rest of his life. If that’s all he plays, it’ll be a very long and successful career," AB de Villiers said on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.

Earlier this year, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a crucial role in India's triumphant run at the 2026 U-19 World Cup, scoring 439 runs from seven matches at an average of 62.71.

In the final against England, Vaibhav slammed 175 runs from just 80 deliveries to power India to their sixth U-19 World Cup title. AB de Villiers pointed out the importance of Vaibhav having to play Tests and ODIs as well.

“If he does start nibbling around with ODIs and, in particular, Test cricket, he will discover a whole different area of his cricket mentally and physically. He definitely has the talent to overcome all the obstacles that may come his way. But it will not be an easy ride, and it will be a rocky road. I hope he goes that route and tries to play Test cricket for his country," the former Proteas captain added.

He also has 1105 T20 runs at an average of 40.92 from 28 matches. Vaibhav’s strike-rate in the shortest format reads an amazing 215.39, and has scored four centuries. He has played eight First-Class and as many List-A matches, and has scored a combined 560 runs across both the formats.

Several former cricketers, including Kris Srikkanth, have backed Vaibhav to be fast-tracked into the Indian team.

“This guy, Sooryavanshi… imagine someone playing such shots. That boy is simply outstanding and brilliant. Ajit, I’m telling you, you need to fast-track him. The next series, he should be playing.

"I’ve been saying this from last year. He should have been fast-tracked, even into the T20 World Cup squad. He doesn’t need to be in the XI straightaway—first let him be in the 15, understand the environment and get a feel for international cricket,” Srikkanth had told The Week.

“I think Sooryavanshi should be fast-tracked. No question of ‘give him time, let him be consistent’. No chance. That guy can win matches for you just like that. Imagine, first ball, he hits Bumrah for a six. Hazlewood gets hammered—he’s not bothered about who the bowler is. He’s a prodigy,” he added.