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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's cricketing intelligence impresses VVS Laxman: Details here
27 Jul 2026

VVS Laxman, India's interim head coach in Zimbabwe, has praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his cricketing intelligence over the past six months.

The praise came after the 15-year-old scored a brilliant 81 in India's 35-run victory in the third and final T20I in Harare, leading them to a clean sweep of the T20I series.

Laxman called it a "very, very mature knock" from Sooryavanshi and praised his ability to counter plans set by opposing bowlers.

Evolution of Sooryavanshi since his breakout IPL season
Growth trajectory

Laxman also highlighted Sooryavanshi's growth since his breakout 2026 IPL season, where he had been the MVP with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30.

The coach was particularly impressed with how much the young cricketer has evolved as a person in the past six months.

"His maturity, understanding, and awareness over the last six months have skyrocketed," Laxman said after the youngster's heroics in the final match.

Laxman recalls spotting Sooryavanshi's talent
Journey

Laxman has been a witness to Sooryavanshi's journey from a teenage prodigy to an India Under-19 and IPL star. He first spotted the young talent at a camp two years ago.

"We identified him during the quadrangular series in Vijayawada, where he was one of the top scorers for India B," Laxman recalled.

While Sooryavanshi slammed 81 off 49 balls in the final Zimbabwe T20I, he made 50 runs off 19 balls in the opener.

These knocks earned him the Player-of-the-Series honor.

Need for Sooryavanshi to work on overall fitness 
Fitness focus

Laxman stressed on the need for Sooryavanshi to work on his overall fitness, given his young age.

He was impressed with the cricketer's eagerness to contribute in every possible way to the team.

"Even today, when he got injured [while attempting a diving catch running in from deep square leg], he still wanted to stay on the field," Laxman said.

'Sooryavanshi has the attitude and mindset to improve every day'
Future prospects

Laxman is not surprised by Sooryavanshi's performance in the series, given his ability to handle pressure.

The coach believes that any IPL match is as good as an international one and credits the young cricketer for choosing to embrace pressure instead of being overawed by it.

"He's got a long career ahead, and he has the attitude and mindset to improve every day," Laxman said.