AB de Villiers and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - (Source: AFP/X)
In the 2nd T20I between India and England, 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited India debut. The youngster took the world by storm during IPL 2026, which eventually earned him his India cap. However, his India debut didn’t go as planned, and the southpaw settled for a quickfire 14-run knock.
Notably, Sooryavanshi was initially picked for the Ireland series, but sat on the bench for both T20Is. The decision by Gautam Gambhir and his management divided the internet. A section of fans agreed as they felt that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had done nothing wrong to be dropped. However, the other half vouched for RR’s star’s inclusion in the playing XI.
In the latest events, South Africa legend AB De Villiers too has voiced his opinion and has criticised the team management’s decision to bench Sooryavanshi against Ireland.
AB de Villiers Questions India’s Roadmap for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
As mentioned above, AB de Villiers questioned the decision to bench the 15-year-old against Ireland. The former right-handed batter stated that had the southpaw played against Ireland, he would have performed much better against England.
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“Congratulations, young man, on making your debut and, on top of that, becoming the youngest-ever player to represent India. I think he was 15 years and 99 days old when he made his debut. That’s ridiculous. It’s funny for me to say, but it’s about time.," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
'I would have played him against Ireland already, just to give him a taste of international cricket, get him onto the scene and build that experience as soon as possible,” he added.
AB De Villiers Issues Huge Warning To Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
AB de Villiers warned Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and stated that he should not be a flash in the pan or be remembered just as the youngest player to play for India.
“Now, the road ahead for Vaibhav is going to be fascinating. For a lot of youngsters growing up, the ultimate goal is to play for your country. So where does he go from here at the age of 15? Has he reached his goal now?,” De Villiers questioned.
"Is he going to be a flash in the pan, or does he want to become truly great and be remembered in cricket history alongside names like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Sir Garfield Sobers and Viv Richards? Does he want to be mentioned among those names, or simply be remembered as the youngest player ever to play for India?,” he added.
AB de Villiers Remarks on Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy
Besides Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer has also been under the scanner for his poor start as India captain. However, de Villiers has kept his faith in the Punjab Kings captain.
“Shreyas is just starting out. Give him a break. Give him an extended period of time to prove if he is the right guy or not. It does not take one loss or one victory, for that matter, to prove that you are a good player or captain. I think Shreyas deserves a bit of time. I have always loved him as a captain in the IPL," De Villiers concluded.
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