Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India debut soon? Pakistan praise 15-year-old after record 15-ball fifty

Former Pakistan cricketers Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali have backed 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a quick India debut after his explosive start to IPL 2026.

Sooryavanshi grabbed headlines on Monday by smashing 52 off just 17 balls, including a record-equaling 15-ball fifty during Rajasthan Royals’ dominant eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.

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Akmal’s strong endorsement

Kamran Akmal suggested that Sooryavanshi could soon make his T20I debut for India.

“In just 8 IPL games, he has been piling records – he already has a hundred. I think in the coming international games for India, he will get a chance after IPL. He will become a young player of the T20 international team. He has proved himself in every place. If he continues to perform, he will definitely get the chance,” Akmal said on ‘The Game Plan’ YouTube channel.

Akmal also praised the teenager’s remarkable game awareness.

“His presence of mind, game awareness, the way he plays – he has a counter to everything at such a young age. This is remarkable … We are discussing his performance more because it was a match of 128. But his performance is visible because he scored 50 runs on 15 balls. His family and his father should be proud – the way he has worked with him, the way the others, too, like coaches who have taught him in school cricket, in club cricket… I am afraid – when he is 25, the bowlers will not know what to do with him,” he added.

Basit Ali’s light-hearted praise

Basit Ali was full of admiration and called Sooryavanshi “ek bablu sabpe bhari” (one kid dominating everyone).

“They (Rajasthan Royals) chased down 128 comfortably. Suryavanshi smashed 50 off just 15 balls-what an innings, he clearly showed his form. Jaiswal remained not out on 37, as Bablu (Suryavanshi) was doing all the damage from the other end. One Bablu dominated everyone – that’s exactly how it felt in yesterday’s (RR vs CSK) match,” said Basit.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s sensational 15-ball fifty has not only helped Rajasthan Royals start their IPL 2026 campaign with a bang but has also caught the attention of former Pakistan stars. Both Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali believe the 15-year-old is ready for international cricket very soon.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2026

RR Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Adam Milne, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Donovan Ferreira, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Perala, Brijesh Sharma