Former South African cricket captain AB de Villiers has raised concerns about the ability of Rajasthan Royals (RR) sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to maintain his exceptional performance across different cricket formats. The 15-year-old has captured the attention of the cricket world following his impressive performances in the IPL last year.
Vaibhav has already achieved two IPL centuries in less than two seasons, with each century coming in just 35 and 36 balls, respectively. The left-handed batsman is currently having a successful second IPL season in the 2026 edition, amassing 440 runs with an average of 40 and an impressive strike rate of 236.55 over 11 matches.
Discussing Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s rise and future prospects in cricket, De Villiers commented on the ‘For the Love of Cricket‘ podcast (42:30):
“I don’t know how he is going to last to be honest. At his age, the talent is incredible. But I would like to see him in other formats. In Test cricket, he doesn’t yet know what he is in for. A lot of things will change unless someone, who is a really good manager, tells him to be a T20 specialist for the rest of his life. If that’s all he plays, it’ll be a very long and successful career.”
Apart from his IPL achievements, Vaibhav also played a crucial role in India’s victory at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, where he scored a remarkable 175 runs off 80 balls in the final against England.
“He will discover a whole different area of his cricket” – AB de Villiers on Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Test and ODI prospects
AB de Villiers suggests that participating in longer formats, particularly Test cricket, will allow Vaibhav Suryavanshi to explore new dimensions of his game. The young cricketer has limited first-class experience, having played only eight games.
“If he does start nibbling around with ODIs and in particular, Test cricket, he will discover a whole different area of his cricket mentally and physically. He definitely has the talent to overcome all the obstacles that may come his way. But it will not be an easy ride, and it’ll be a rocky road. I hope he goes that route and tries to play Test cricket for his country,” said AB de Villiers (via the aforementioned source).
Vaibhav has faced challenges in his red-ball career so far, with a batting average of 17.25 across 12 first-class innings.
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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
