'Time will tell': De Villiers on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Test future
What's the story
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old Indian cricket prodigy, has been making waves in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his stellar performances. He was recently called up to India's T20I squad after an impressive IPL 2026 season, where he scored a whopping 776 runs at a strike rate of 237 and won the Orange Cap. However, despite his success in the shorter format of the game, there are doubts about his potential in red-ball cricket.
Concerns raised
De Villiers casts doubt on Sooryavanshi's Test ambitions
While Sooryavanshi has expressed his desire to play all three formats of cricket, South African cricket legend AB de Villiers isn't so sure. "Does he really want to? I hope he does try and play, but I doubt it," De Villiers said during an interview with NDTV at the launch of Kabuni's AI-powered global sports platform in Mumbai.
Talent recognition
'He's a wonderful talent'
De Villiers praised Sooryavanshi as a "He's a wonderful talent," but he was uncertain about the young cricketer's commitment to red-ball cricket. He said, "The red-ball thing I absolutely cannot answer. I think he can if he wants to, but there's your answer, and there's the big question as well: Does he really want to? Time will tell."
Potential hurdles
Challenges ahead for Sooryavanshi if he pursues red-ball cricket
De Villiers also admitted that if Sooryavanshi chooses to pursue red-ball cricket, he will face some challenges. However, he was confident about the young cricketer's ability to overcome them. "If he decides to play red-ball cricket, there will be some challenges, but he's got the skill and the ability to work through that," De Villiers said. Sooryavanshi has not started well in First-Class cricket, managing 207 runs from his first 12 innings at 17.25.
Tech influence
De Villiers on AI in sports
De Villiers, who invented many new shots during his playing days, spoke about how AI is changing the game. He said having access to parameters like Kabuni's would have been helpful during his career. "You never want that risk to be over 50% really. You want to get it as low as possible with shots that you've practiced," he added.