Jun 16, 2026 11:47 am IST

Ringside View | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Needs To Be Told Cricket Is Not A Contact Sport

Sooryavanshi could be the most unique product rolled out by the Indian cricket system in years. He just needs to give social proof to convert sceptics into believers.

Rica Roy Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Dealing with prodigies is always a tricky affair. The younger they are, the easier it becomes to excuse things. A bad reaction gets called passion-using intense emotion to excuse poor communication or toxic actions. Poor behaviour gets passed off as immaturity. And when the talent is as obvious as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, people often look away because the runs and the sixes just begin to feel bigger than everything else. But there is a danger of looking away. At 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is moving through cricket at 10x speed, that very few have experienced.

He has taken apart international bowlers in the IPL, won an Under-19 World Cup, and will soon be launched by India as the most dazzling, aspirational product in the market, as early as the Ireland tour.

Which is why what happened in Dambulla on Monday cannot be shrugged off.

It was a tied game between India A and Sri Lanka A, the kind that leaves everybody drained. There was confusion over light, uncertainty over whether the Super Over would even happen, and then Sri Lanka A held their nerve to win it. Make no mistake that even during the game there were skirmishes between India A and Sri Lanka A players.

After losing a game, frustration was natural. But what came next wasn't.

The cameras caught Sooryavanshi in an argument with Sri Lankan players once the game was done. Even while walking away, he kept turning back. Kept engaging. Kept pulling himself back into it. Then came the physical........

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