New Delhi, March 31 Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his impressive innings led Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 opener in Guwahati on Monday, and cautioned against rushing him into the Indian international setup.
Sooryavanshi's explosive 52 off just 17 balls, which saw him achieve a half-century in 15 balls, dismantled CSK's bowling attack and set the stage for RR's chase after they had earlier restricted the five-time champions to a modest total of 127. The youngster's fearless batting in the powerplay, where RR reached 74 without loss, left the opposition with no chance to recover.
Ashwin urged patience in dealing with the 15-year-old prodigy and warned against rushing his development.
"Don't set such a target for him. He is still a young boy. If MS Dhoni can play until 45 (44), and if Sooryavanshi plays until 40, he still has two and a half decades of cricket ahead of him. Let him develop at his own pace. He is too good to ignore. He will eventually play for India. When will he play? We might have to wait a little. Why are we always in such a hurry?" Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin was equally impressed with the youngster's raw talent, highlighting both his batting speed and composure against a seasoned bowling attack. "He turned 15 years old, so he scored a 50 in 15 balls, which shows his maturity. He is a fantastic player. How fast is his batting speed? CSK had no answer to him. They looked like a flat, demoralized team on the field. RR have put up such a dominant performance that they have shown, 'Look at us, we are also a strong team in this competition'," he said.
RR began their IPL 2026 campaign in dominant fashion with a victory over CSK. Sooryavanshi was the star performer, scoring the third fastest fifty in IPL history. After Sooryavanshi's dismissal, Yashasvi Jaiswal (38) and captain Riyan Parag (14) guided the team to victory with 47 balls remaining.