'15-year-old kid smashing everybody': Dhruv Jurel on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals' wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel recently opened up on his experience of sharing the dressing room alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the prodigious talent. The 15-year-old wonderkid was bought by the franchise for a whopping ₹1.1 crore and has since been in the limelight for his stellar performances in the T20 league. He smashed several records before making his international debut.
Praise
'He deserves all the praise'
In a recent interview with Aakash Chopra, Jurel heaped praise on Sooryavanshi's extraordinary talent.
"He deserves all the praise. What he does is something you can't even dream of. A 15-year-old kid smashing everybody. It's just WOW," Jurel said.
Jurel also spoke about the pressure of batting alongside Sooryavanshi.
He said, "In the Powerplay, he keeps smashing, and watching him, you feel that if we get a chance, we should also start hitting, because he just keeps smashing."
Debut
Sooryavanshi's international debut
Sooryavanshi made his international debut during India's T20I tour of England in July.
Becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket, the left-handed batter scored 14, 13, and 15 in his first series.
However, he improved against Zimbabwe and was named Player of the Series.
Sooryavanshi now has 193 runs from six T20Is at an incredible strike rate of 189.21. His tally includes 2 half-centuries.
Absence
Exclusion from Playing XI
Jurel further emphasized that there was no jealousy or comparison with Sooryavanshi, as his skills are beyond comprehension and make life easier for other batters in the team.
In the recent series against Afghanistan, India chose to bench Sooryavanshi and went with Sanju Samson as opener.
Despite his absence from the Playing XI, Sooryavanshi has been included in India's Asian Games 2026 squad.